'Iconic' Salisbury market building a writeoff after fire, chief says

A community meeting place and popular spot for people stopping off the highway near Monctonwas destroyedby fire Monday night.

The Green Pig Country Market in Salisbury waspopular for its caf and bakery, fresh produce,nodding sunflowersand intricate corn maze.

Rob Campbell, mayor of Salisbury, said the market is "part of the fabric of the community."

Speaking to Information Morning Moncton, Campbell called the Green Pig the "economic backbone for the community."

He citedthe tens of thousands of people who attend the annualSunflower Festival,make their way through the corn maze andbring their children to enjoy the play structures.

The parking lotwas often jammed with vehicles as tourists pulled in for a break from the road, and local people stopped by to pick up a loaf of fresh bread or a pumpkin for display.

Campbell said Tuesday he's thankful no one was hurt.

The owners will be trying to get the business up and running again, he said, adding thatrecovery isimportant, especially since the businessemploys more than 40 people.

The Green Pig also has a farm attached. Since it's harvest season, Campbell said efforts are already underway to keep harvesting the crops and to sellthem from trailers to make sure they don't go to waste.

"The owners are resilient and we willrise again," Campbellsaid.

Bradley McLeod, the Salisbury fire chief, said firefighters received a call about smoke in the areaat around 7:50 p.m. Monday.

"As soon as we got upto the GreenPig and pulled up into the driveway, we could see that ithad flames coming through the back," he said.

He said the fire started between a new addition at the back of the building and the building itself. He said the wind blew flames into the store, which caught fire.

The caf and bakery were damaged by the flames, and the rest of the building has extensive smoke damage. On the outside, the building looks as if it's still up, but as soon as you walk in the front door, "everything is burnedinside."

"It's probably going to be a total writeoff because of the smoke damage and alot of the heatdamage. The fire got upto theatticspace, so a lot of the trusses were burned," McLeod said.

The cause of the fire is not known.

"Last night Salisbury lost an iconic business," the fire department said in a social media post.

"We were joined by crews from Petitcodiac, Havelock, Elgin, Moncton and Riverview to fight this blaze. Everyone came together and worked flawlessly."