Two Rivers Distillery heavily damaged in southeast Calgary fire
Award-winning craft distillery will remain closed as owners begin rebuilding after Tuesday blaze.
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Two Rivers Distillery at 453 42nd Avenue S.E. was heavily damaged in a fire on Tuesday, June 30, around 3:45 p.m., though no one was injured and neighbouring businesses were spared serious damage.
Calgary Fire Department crews found heavy smoke and visible flame coming from the bay door on the back of the commercial building. Firefighters stretched hose lines, made a rapid entry, and kept most of the fire contained to the single distillery unit. A ladder truck accessed the roof to check for extension into adjacent businesses. One neighbouring dog grooming service experienced smoke exposure, but the two employees and 20 dogs inside sheltered in place safely.
Fire investigators determined the origin was inside the distillery and unrelated to a lightning storm that struck south Calgary the same afternoon. Watch crews remained on scene until 3 a.m. Wednesday to ensure no reignition.
Two Rivers opened in 2017 in the Manchester Industrial area during Alberta's craft distilling boom. The distillery won a gold medal at the 2026 World Gin Awards for Canada's best colour-changing gin and has built a reputation using solely local ingredients.
In a Facebook post Thursday, the business called the fire "a massive gut punch after so many years of blood, sweat and tears." Though the fire suppression system worked as designed and helped save the building itself, the production area in the back bay sustained extensive damage. "The distillery will be closed for the foreseeable future as we begin the long road to rebuilding," the post stated. "For our owner, Mark, this is more than just a building. This distillery was his life's work."
