Herbivorous Butcher in northeast Minneapolis temporarily closed due to fire
A popular vegan butcher shop in northeast Minneapolis is temporarily closed after a fire.
The owners of the Herbivorous Butcher say they are "heartbroken." According to a social media post, flames in the building prompted the fire department to flood the kitchen.
The Herbivorous Butcher is the country's first vegan butcher shop. In 2013, siblings Aubry and Kale Walch started with just a table at the farmers market. They opened the location in northeast Minneapolis three years later.
"It's my baby, it's my brother's baby. Started it together," said Aubry Walch.
Minneapolis fire officials say crews were dispatched around 9:10 p.m. When they entered, they found a fire in the ceiling between the first and second floor above the kitchen.
The fire burned a hole to the second floor, and a sprinkler system activated, extinguishing most of the fire. Crews then cut a hole in the floor to extinguish the embers between the floor and ceiling, officials say.
The shop in the St. Anthony neighborhood is closing all operations, including local store and delivery services for the foreseeable future. Owners say they'll assess the damage and start to rebuild.
"We're hoping to use a community kitchen, maybe to keep stuff going so we can keep our people working, with health insurance and everything they need," said Walch.
The shop owners have reached out to the community to get back on their feet. Despite the major setback, Walch remains optimistic.
"Keep your eyes peeled. We're hoping that we can still get vegan food to people in the next several weeks, but we'll be down for a little bit," said Walch.
No one was injured in the fire, and the cause is under investigation.
