A large fire at Big O Tires West Shore in View Royal has sent one person to hospital with burns, gutted the business and destroyed a van containing all the possessions of an English couple who are now stranded on Vancouver Island.
An employee of the automotive shop at 1705 Island Highway was working on removing a fuel tank from a vehicle when it ignited, said View Royal Fire acting chief Rob Marshall. He tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but the flames spread to the man’s pants, leaving him with burns.
Troy Swindell, who owns the business with his father, Don, said he was in his office when someone yelled “call 911.” By the time he completed the call, the flames, which he at first thought they would be able to contain with the shop’s own fire extinguishers, had grown too large to handle.
View Royal Fire was called around 3:15 p.m. and was at the scene four minutes later, Marshall said. Hundreds of tires were stacked inside the business, sending thick clouds of oily black smoke into the sky as they burned.
The speed with which the fire grew stunned Swindell. “They warn you that it takes off instantly,” he said. “It took off instantly.”
The employee was taken to hospital by B.C. Emergency Health Service paramedics.
The fire closed the Old Island Highway between Six Mile Road and Wale Road, causing traffic backups.
View Royal firefighters, assisted by crews from Colwood and Langford, tackled the blaze from outside and the fire was contained.
The number of tires piled up created difficult conditions for firefighters trying to access stubborn hot spots from the outside, Marshall said. He said it was too dangerous to go inside the building because the hoists holding the vehicles up in the air were compromised by fire.
“So we have concerns they could fall with guys in there,” Marshall said. Crews were working Tuesday afternoon to spray water into the side of a parapet roof, he said.
The fire forced the evacuation of nearby Bloom Montessori, which operates a daycare, and neighbouring businesses, including Serious Coffee and National Car Rental.
The fire also destroyed a van containing almost all the possessions of a young English couple on a Canadian adventure.
“It’s everything we own in Canada,” said Rob Pearce.
The couple, who lost their passports, clothes, cameras and cash, now find themselves stranded on Vancouver Island with nowhere to stay. One woman at the scene offered to put the couple up for the night.
The couple came to Canada in October, and spent the winter skiing in Revelstoke. Trapped by the pandemic, they ended up working in traffic control in Revelstoke before heading out on what was to be a four-month road trip around B.C. and the Yukon. Tuesday’s loss had them reeling.
“We’ve had no luck,” Pearce said.
