Fire at Lake Country Italian Kitchen deemed accidental by insurance investigators

Photo: Sarita Patel

A fire at a popular Lake Country restaurant has been deemed accidental by insurance investigators.

Italian Kitchen Lake Country was destroyed in a fire last month at Holiday Park Resort. Pretium Group, the company that owns the local chain, says the insurance company's investigation has concluded, and the fire was deemed accidental.

"The agency told us that it was accidental and they're moving on to the next step of the process," says Katie Dahl, vice-president of Pretium Group. "There are still a couple odds and ends to the investigation, as I believe the RCMP haven't made their verdict yet, but the insurance aspect is pretty much finished now."

The fire occurred about 5 a.m. Sept. 7. Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze later that morning, but not before the restaurant was lost.

Even though the restaurant is gone, that doesn't mean this is the end of the line for the restaurant in Lake Country. Pretium Group is looking to replace the restaurant, and says all options are on the table.

"If we could find a great location and be open next week, we probably would," says Dahl. "It's just a matter of allocating time and resources, which is a little tough right now."

Dahl says they are open to moving into an existing location, or even constructing a new building of their own. Realistically, they expect to reopen in the spring if location proceedings go as planned.

Anyone with potential sites for lease can email Dahl at [email protected].