Yellowknife's Sundog Trading Post closed indefinitely due to fire in attic

The owner of a Yellowknife café and restaurant says he's "gutted" by a fire that engulfed the establishment's attic on Thursday.

Richard McIntosh, owner of Sundog Trading Post on Latham Island in Old Town, said he doesn't know how the fire started but that the restaurant will be closed indefinitely. 

McIntosh said the fire started at about 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon and emergency crews responded right away.

"The attic was fully engulfed when they showed up."

He said they first noticed smoke coming from the window sills in the kitchen and from the attic.

"We're not really clear what happened," McIntosh told CBC News. "The roof in the kitchen, in the attic space, was on fire. But there was no sign of fire within the kitchen."

The attic will need to be replaced, and part of the roof might need to be rebuilt, McIntosh said. 

There was no damage to the front of the restaurant.

"People in the front didn't even know there was a fire," he said.

He confirmed there were no injuries.

The City of Yellowknife has not provided any details on the incident or the cause of the fire yet.

Dustin Martin and his son Elliot went to Sundog after a hike on Thursday to get ice cream, when they saw the fire trucks. With the power turned off, including the restaurant's freezers, the owners gave them a free pint of ice cream.

Martin said he feels bad for the owners.

"It's sad to see it closed, especially right now for summer," he said.

"It's a big part of the community. It's a great gathering space. We enjoy coming here for coffee or ice cream. We always see friends or people we know.

"I hope they can fix the building, and hopefully we see them back and open again."