FONDA — A demolition crew on Monday completed tearing down the charred remains of the three-story West Main Street building destroyed in a fire Saturday evening.

Officials said nine people were left homeless by the blaze. The building at 18 W. Main St. housed the Peking Chinese food restaurant and apartments on the upper floors.

Officials said the fire appeared accidental, though no official cause was available Monday.

Jenny Jiang, one of the restaurant’s owners, watched from the rear of the building Monday as a crew loaded bricks and other debris into a truck.

“We lost a lot,” said Jiang, who said the restaurant operated by the family for the past seven years is insured.

Jiang said the insurance isn’t likely cover the cost of a new restaurant, but said she and her family intend to look around the village “as soon as possible” for other space that could serve as an eatery.

The American Red Cross of Northeastern New York reported assisting nine people displaced by the fire. The families are being housed in a nearby hotel until they find permanent lodging.

Mayor Kim Flander said the village plans to organize some help for those affected by the fire. Flander said one family living in an upstairs apartment has two small children.

“We definitely need to find housing for the people that are displaced right now,” Flander said.

Some vacant buildings are being eyed as possible new sites for a Chinese restaurant.

“They watched the building come down yesterday, and I imagine that must have been hard for them to watch,” Flander said.

“We do want to work with them as closely as possible    I know that is their livelihood,” Flander said.

The 1800s-era building had a firewall between it and the adjacent buildings along West Main Street, Flander said. The building’s construction and the efforts of several fire companies likely saved the entire block, Flander said.

“We were so fortunate that we only lost one building,” Flander remarked.

Flander said village businesses provided critical support for firefighters and other emergency personnel during the firefighting ordeal that lasted more than 12 hours.

Flander said the nearby Great American grocery store, the Subway, Stewart’s shop and Cumberland Farms provided meals and warmth for first-responders, and the Fonda Reformed Church put together a sit-down dinner for the families routed by the blaze.

“The community just did an amazing job,” Flander said.