The Cassidy Inn, which dates back to about 1910, has been destroyed by fire.
Fire crews, led by the Cranberry Fire Department, arrived at the inn about 11:25 p.m. Monday. Also responding were firefighters from the North Oyster, Cedar and Ladysmith departments.
North Oyster Fire Chief Jason Layman said the blaze was burning inside the building, located on the Trans-Canada Highway, just north of the Nanaimo airport, and was fully involved when he arrived. There was little left of the structure when he left about 3 a.m. Tuesday, he said.
Smoke went straight up for the most part and did not affect the adjacent highway, Layman said.
The building had been slated for demolition, but a reprieve was granted by the Regional District of Nanaimo. The structure, which had some of its doors and windows boarded up, had been vacant for years and was occasionally used by people seeking shelter.
“There was evidence that people had been living inside the building and there was extensive vandalism on the inside of the building as well,” said Tom Armet, manager of building and bylaw services for the regional district.
Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien said police had become familiar with the property.
“We’ve been dealing with squatters for some time,” he said.
“There’s also been lots of copper theft in that area, the place has been picked dry.”
He said RCMP arson investigators were planning to walk through the remnants of the fire “to see if there’s anything suspicious about it.”
WorkSafe B.C. is also involved in the investigation.
A demolition order for the building from the Regional District of Nanaimo was issued in May, Armet said.
“On May 24, the regional district board directed the owner to demolish the building in 14 days,” he said.
After a request for another hearing, which has held June 28, a 30-day reprieve was granted to secure the site and make it safe, Armet said.
He said efforts to improve the property appeared to be underway.
“The property owner had installed some temporary fencing around the building and was, we understand, beginning to work on the direction that the board had given him — and that was to install security and fire-detection monitoring in the building and around the property to secure the building against entry.”
Armet said the inn had a number of owners, “but it’s been a pub for as long as I can recall.”
The building was used in 2013 for the Superman movie Man of Steel, where it was presented as a loggers’ bar in Alaska.
