It has been a difficult seven days for people who live and work in downtown Ayr. A fire tore through a historic building on Northumberland Street on March 2. One person was hurt as they leapt through a second-floor window to escape the flames. Soon after, the building was torn down, destroying two businesses and three apartments. A week later, the Nith River breached its banks, sending water spilling into the downtown area, including near the site of the fire. “It’s just a lot to continue to pile on,” Brookelynn Tookey, owner of White Willow Medi Spa on Northumberland Street, said. “Although the flood itself wasn’t a huge impact to us, it’s just more of like insult to injury and now we’re trying to fix again what we were just fixing before.” Tookey’s business is in the building right beside where the fire broke out. She says at the time of the fire, she was sure their building was in danger. “When we saw that the fire was kind of contained into the attic area, I thought for sure that we are next,” she said. Tookey says the North Dumfries Fire Department saved the building. “The firefighters did an amazing job of just blasting water on the side of the building, they did that for a solid six or seven hours just to keep the building wet and keep it from catching. The fact this building is still standing is a credit to them.” Although it escaped the flames, Tookey’s shop has significant water damage from the suppression efforts. The spa has been closed since the fire, and when flood waters began pouring into the basement of the building, it further delayed the reopening. “It’s just complicating the remediation, because it’s taking things longer now to dry out, and they can’t access the basement and clean what they need to,” she explained. While she continues to deal with the setbacks, she said the support from the community has been incredible. “Ayr is resilient,” she said “It’s been really uplifting, and it’s on your worst days. Sometimes it gets you through. And I know that people are eager to support their community now more than ever.” Said Tookey.
