Downtown Waterville is currently cleaning up after what was described as a "devastating fire" took hold at the Funky Munky restaurant. The restaurant fire is being investigated and the area was taped off earlier today. The building is being considered as a total loss.

The Waterville Chamber of Commerce Facebook page posted the news earlier today, in part calling the fire "devastating" and but also the fire seemed to have had a galvanizing effect on the town as there were reports of people dropping off food and supplies for those affected by the fire and those that fought the blaze.

UPDATE: There were no reported injuries and the fire remains under investigation. Please observe the barricades around the building as it remains unstable.

There was a devastating fire in downtown Waterville early this morning at The Funky Munky.

Nine fire departments from the surrounding area were called to the scene. Residents were evacuated from surrounding apartments.
Water had to be pumped from the bay because the water tower became depleted.

No word on injuries or a cause.

If you are coming to downtown, please check that the business you plan on visiting is open today. Many are dealing with smoke damage and streets may remain closed for clean-up work.

We've heard reports of folks dropping off donuts and a chili feed being postposted and donated to the firehall. Please reach out to the firehall if you would like to donate.

Please pray for everyone affected and the first responders.

The fire was so intense that the water tower in town ran out, and water had to be pumped in from surrounding areas to battle the early Saturday morning blaze. Waterville's mayor commented on the fire saying "On behalf of the Waterville City Council and the City of Waterville. Thank you to all the mutual aid departments that helped support Waterville in their time [o]f need, with the fire that happened early this morning. This is a tragic blow to the city of Waterville. As always we will be Waterville strong. God Bless everyone." - Mayor Al Schmidtke

Luckily there were no injuries as a result of the fire, as residents were able to be evacuated from the surrounding apartments.

Other fire departments that responded to the early morning fire included those from Faribault, Morristown, Le Center, and Kilkenny.

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