MONTREAL - Firefighters believe that a blaze that started in the Liverpool House restaurant on Notre Dame West on Thursday morning was started by old, faulty wiring.
The damage to the eatery at 2501 Notre Dame West was estimated at around $50,000 to $60,000.
The restaurant sits on a strip that has increasingly seen the traditional row of antique shops supplanted by restaurants - many of which have their roots in Britain – and some locals have groused that insurance rates have risen due to the possibility of restaurant fires in the area.
However David McMillan, owner of the Liverpool House, says that the influx of eateries has injected new life into the area.
"Building owners are happy to see antique dealers leave," he said. "It was sleepy, full of low-rent antique dealers. I'd say some of them were even junk shops. Today we have restaurant that employ a lot of people. It's vibrant and Little Burgundy lives again. "
The restaurant will eventually reopen but it's not yet known when.
