Earlier this week, a massive fire forced the closure of several businesses on Commerical Drive north of 1st Avenue, among them a popular gelato shop.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services responded to a blaze in a building at 5:39 a.m. on Tuesday (Aug. 22).
Heavy smoke was coming from the first floor when crews arrived, and the fire was upgraded to a second-alarm fire with 15 apparatus. No injuries were reported but 10 people were displaced and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The owners of Dolce Amore shared a message on Instagram shortly after the incident, stating that a "massive fire" broke out at the business early that morning. The store is located at 1588 Commercial Dr.
On Thursday (Aug. 24), the gelato shop started a fundraiser to help recover from the devastating fire.
"We've lost our flagship store, our production facility, but it's actually so much more," the business shares in Instagram post. "For us, Dolce Amore is more than just gelato and more than just four walls; it is family. It is teamwork. A family with people from all around the world, a home filled with joy, tears, excitement, stress, hope, and an abundance of laughter and love."
The business adds that the cause of the fire appears to be an electrical fire.
"We have over 40 team members counting on us for their livelihood. We do have insurance, but we will not receive funds for some time, and it will not cover the loss of income for our North Van store, nor will it cover all of our team's wages," the Instagram post continues.
Dolce Amore will put the money raised towards setting up a temporary production facility to keep the team employed and the gelato shop running.
"We're very grateful for all the support and love we received during these challenging times," the business adds.
With files from Elana Shepert and Lindsay William-Ross.
