"My head is spinning, and I've been on the phone nonstop," said Mike Miller, co-founder and president of Abstract Developments, following the fire that levelled their construction project on Quadra Street in the early hours of Nov. 20.
Although the cause of the fire remains under investigation by Saanich Police, Miller confirmed that the entire building was destroyed in the blaze.
“We were framed up to the 6th floor. We had the roof on and we were just commencing drywall,” he said.
Over 90 per cent of the 77 residential condominium homes had been pre-sold, with 72 units already purchased. Since the fire, Miller and his team have been in constant communication with clients, providing them with updates on their next steps.
“Our team has been really careful to be in contact with those individuals,” said Owen Rennison, Abstract Development’s director of marketing and communications. “First and foremost, our goal is to make sure that they're informed. As soon as we have the information, we want them to have it.”
Just days after the blaze, many uncertainties remain, making it difficult to determine the next steps as the situation is still unfolding, explained Rennison. However, he stressed that Abstract is committed to resuming construction as soon as conditions permit.
“At this point in time it's too early to [give] timelines on anything, but we wanted to be very explicit… that it's our intention to complete the project,” he said. “We want to get this done and back on track [as] fast as humanly possible.”
Though it is still too early to determine the full extent of the damage caused by the blaze, Miller stated that the cost already exceeds several million dollars.
“All I can say right now is it's north of $10 million… but it could be way more than that,” said Miller. “It's just so hard for us to put information out there because until the engineers get their assessments done… we can't know how far backwards we're gonna go."
Miller and Rennison added that neighbourhood welfare also remains a top priority. This includes coordinating with BC Hydro to restore electricity to the area, which was further impacted by the cyclone bomb that swept across Vancouver Island that same night.
The two men extended their gratitude to the Victoria and Saanich fire departments, praising their "heroic” efforts in battling the flames and preventing further damage.
