A construction site at the corner of Quadra Street and Palmer Road is nearly ready to start from scratch as cleanup continues in the wake of a massive fire late last year.
Faced with a wall of embers fuelled by high winds, Saanich firefighters held the blaze from spreading beyond the building just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 20. The building was framed to the sixth floor and drywall work just starting on the Abstract Development project, with 72 of its 77 units already sold. Neighbouring residents were evacuated from their homes and taken to Saanich Commonwealth Place for the night.
By morning the bulk of the building was gone.
Three months later, Abstract remains committed to the building, both providing new homes for the community and delivering to those who purchased the homes.
“We are pleased to share that we will be rebuilding, and that debris cleanup is nearly complete,” the company said in a letter to neighbours through the Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association.
“As you can imagine, the post-fire cleanup and associated work involves coordination with many stakeholders. Much of the recent focus has been on cleanup, including removing debris from the parkade and the concrete slabs and getting the roads reopened. In parallel, structural engineers have started assessing the concrete structure to determine the extent of the damages prior to any required repairs or construction commencing for the rebuild.”
The current goal – subject to change based on the results of ongoing testing – is to begin reframing the building in late spring or early summer with a projected completion late in 2026.
Abstract has not yet received information from Saanich Fire about the cause of the blaze. The Saanich News has reached out to the Saanich Fire Department but not yet had a response.
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