Victoria fire crews, ambulances, police, and BC Transit are all present at the site of a massive structure fire at the vacant Plaza Hotel on Monday morning.
The blaze first broke out at approximately 5 a.m. at the intersection of Government St and Pandora Ave in the early hours of May 6th.
Fire crews, accompanied by a drone, have been battling the blaze from all angles since before 6 a.m. and the brick wall side of the building facing Pandora Ave collapsed just after 8:30 a.m.
A crowd of onlookers observe as @VictoriaFire730 crews battle major fire at the old Plaza Hotel on Goverment and Pandora. The fire broke out at approximately 5am this morning and the @CityOfVictoria has since issued an air quality warning due to smoke #yyj #yyjnews pic.twitter.com/pMusulHk8q
— Brishti Basu (@brish_ti) May 6, 2019
The City of Victoria has since issued an air quality warning and announced the closure of City Hall for the rest of the day due to poor air quality and lack of access thanks to road closures.
Emergency crews have closed the 600-block of Pandora and the 1400-block of Government Street.
According to a BC Transit official on site, bus routes 14, 15, 24, and 25 are currently on detour via Yates St, while the 10 is on detour via Government.
A crowd of onlookers at the scene were also privy to the sight of ashes and debris falling from the building, and massive plumes of smoke blocking out the sun at regular intervals.
As the fire appears to be dying down, @CityOfVictoria announces City Hall shut down for the day due to poor air quality and lack of road access pic.twitter.com/oSxmz9KG5p
— Brishti Basu (@brish_ti) May 6, 2019
There have been no reports of injuries, and the cause of the fire is still unknown.
More to come.