Fire destroyed Boston's landmark lobster wholesaler James Hook & Co. early this morning. The cause of the seven-alarm fire is undetermined and no injuries were reported.
One of the owners, Ed Hook, told WHDH-TV that the business is run by third and fourth generations of his family.
"Everyone's just in shock," he says. "That's our future, that's our present and that's our past."
Fire officials say the building was destroyed. Hook estimates total losses to be about $5 million.
The company has been in business since 1925, when the Hook family started shipping lobsters from Maine and Canada to Boston's fish piers and selling them direct to restaurants. The business is situated in the heart of Boston's waterfront, by the Boston Harbor and Intercontinental hotels, the city's Fire Department headquarters and the Financial District.
