Port Alberni RCMP suspect arsonists set the fire that destroyed a large commercial building early Friday morning.
Two dozen firefighters from three different fire departments rushed to the building on Argyle Street near Second Avenue at 1:23 a.m. after smoke and flames could be seen shooting into the air. No one was in the building at the time.
The road was shut down as firefighters battled the flames for about six hours and then spent six more hours controlling hot spots, said Port Alberni fire chief Tim Pley. Containing the blaze was made difficult by the -12C temperatures which caused the water from the hoses to quickly turn the street into a sheet of ice.
Pley said there was no alarm system or sprinkler system which is why the fire was out of control.
RCMP and fire inspectors entered the building Saturday afternoon and found evidence that the fire was deliberately set, said Const. Shelly Schedewitz.
“Because it’s an active police investigation we’re not in a position to comment on the cause of fire,” Pley said. “We don’t want to compromise the investigation.”
The building’s tenants include McGill Engineering and Associates, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council which provides social services to First Nations and a third tenant who operated a workshop in t he back.
Anyone who witnessed the crime or saw anyone suspicious around the building at that time is asked to call Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
