It's more bad news for a family-run restaurant in Vancouver this week.
Akiyo and Nathan Lowey are the family behind Dosanko, a Japanese restaurant operating in the Downtown Eastside on Powell Street for the past five years.
On July 17 there was a fire in the suite above their restaurant, which suffered smoke and water damage and meant they'd have to shut down for repairs. That fire coincidentally happened while the owners and staff were having a party elsewhere to celebrate making it five years (and Akiyo's birthday, at the same time).
"It may take a couple of months to fix the damage," the Loweys wrote in a social media post after the July 17 fire. "But hey we are safe and Dosanko is still here. We will be back! We will keep you in the loop."
Unfortunately, a second, huge fire in neighbouring buildings has once again damaged the family-run business, extending their temporary closure.
"We had another fire next to our building and we got more water and smoke damage today, Aug 22nd," Dosanko's owners wrote on Instagram, adding that it's complicated the repairs and meant their re-opening will be delayed.
After the first fire, the Loweys noted that insurance would cover most of the costs to replace and repair their facilities. However, it wouldn't cover all the staff wages. To help keep the staff afloat so they could bring them back once Dosanko was repaired the family launched a fundraiser online.
"Our team lost their job and will be only partially covered," wrote Akiyo on GoFundMe. "I want all the staff to be back when we reopen, and I want them to have a comfortable summer."
To date it's raised almost $11,000, surpassing the initial goal of $10,000.
