A fire in a dilapidated Victoria building could have been much worse but for the eagle eyes of firefighters heading back to the hall early Wednesday morning.
Crews were returning after an emergency medical call on Jan. 15 around 4 a.m. when they saw signs of smoke at the roofline of the abandoned building at 2002 Richmond Rd. – simply called the Turner building by locals.
After pulling over for a quick assessment they called in for more support that wound up including six trucks and 18 firefighters.
While the blaze created hours of traffic disruptions in a busy part of the community, the department is satisfied with the outcome, including a lack of injuries.
The fortuitous early morning drive-by “helped prevent a more significant incident,” Fire Chief Dan Atkinson told the Victoria News.
“We were on scene for several hours trying to access the seat of the fire which was very challenging given the state of the building,” he said.
The Victoria building once housed a coffee shop, convenience store, flower shop and apartments on the second level. Built in 1946, the property is assessed just over $1.7 million in primarily land value, with the building shuttered since 2001.
“It’s quite dilapidated … it just wasn’t safe to go inside the building,” Atkinson said.
Faced with rotting joists and severe roof damage, firefighters spent three hours dousing the fire externally.
Confident it was out, but knowing they’d return to monitor, crews left.
People later reported the return of smoke and crews spent more time creating holes in windows, doors and walls to gain as much access as possible.
“It’s been secured and turned back over to the owner,” Atkinson said.
They’ll work with the city to determine if the building is structurally sound to remain in its current form or if additional measures are needed.
While it’s simply not safe enough to determine the seat of the fire, keeping the cause a virtual mystery, but the fact it was expected to be empty and had no power signals a “high probability that some sort of human element caused this fire,” Atkinson said.
The department routinely inspects the building, and owners have been receptive to maintaining security.
“Any time a building is sitting vacant we know that can be enticing … but they’ve certainly done the best they can maintaining and securing those access points as best they can,” Atkinson said. “They did do their due diligence with this one.”
