'Significant fire' closes popular downtown Stratford restaurant

A popular restaurant in downtown Stratford will be closed indefinitely after a “significant fire” on Friday caused extensive damage. Bijou owners Mark and Linda Simone said in a Facebook post they are “assessing the extent of the damage and will provide updates as more information becomes available.” The Wellington Street establishment specialized in locally inspired [...]

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A popular restaurant in downtown Stratford will be closed indefinitely after a “significant fire” on Friday caused extensive damage. Bijou owners Mark and Linda Simone said in a Facebook post they are “assessing the extent of the damage and will provide updates as more information becomes available.” The Wellington Street establishment specialized in locally inspired cuisine and was celebrating 25 years in the city.

No details were available as to what caused the fire. One resident on Facebook said they heard chainsaws and alarms going off Saturday at 5 a.m.



as the Stratford Fire Department battled the blaze and remained there until well after 8 a.m. The front door was boarded up Saturday afternoon, and the smell of smoke lingered around the building.

Smoke alarms could also be heard going off in the second floor. It’s unknown if anyone was living upstairs. Lovage, a restaurant beside Bijou, said Saturday on social media it was closed on Saturday “due to unforeseen circumstances” and hoped to open next week.

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