A fire at A.S. Cooper & Son put a damper on the Christmas Spirit.

Somers Cooper, managing director of the stores, said staff and shoppers alike were disappointed that the Church Street store was boarded up on Christmas Eve after a fire Sunday evening caused damage.

Mr. Cooper said he did not know how long it would take to clean up the premises.

The cause of the fire is still not known. Luckily it happened during the evening so no one was in the store.

"It is a major shame," Mr. Cooper said. "This is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. At least it did not happen a month ago, that would have been very bad for business.

"It's definitely put a damper on the Christmas spirit."

The shop sells home furnishings and many Christmas decorations but Mr. Cooper said not all the merchandise was ruined because the fire and smoke did not spread to the lower floor.

Firemen responded promptly to the incident after they were alerted by an automated fire alarm in the store. Many people watched from the bus stop as they smashed through the store's front windows to gain entry to the premises.

They managed to get the fire under control quickly and clear the smoke from the building. Corporation of Hamilton staff assisted in boarding up the building later Sunday night. No other buildings were damaged.