A massive fire broke out last night in an apartment building which saw several units destroyed.
According to the Victoria Firefighters Association, crews were dispatched to 689 Bay Street just after midnight on Wednesday, February 14th.
One captain reported he was met with “tall flames lapping from the top-floor balcony and into the roof system of the four floor apartment building.”
As the fire crews doused the flames with water as soon as they could, the flames continued to grow and it became clear that they would need help.
However, the Victoria Firefighters Association had already exhausted all its resources, so they chose to call in assistance from Saanich Fire.
Firefighters fought the blaze both from inside and outside the building and made the call that the ceiling should be removed so the flames would have less fuel and the fire crews could more easily attack the heart of the fire.
After four hours of arduous and rigorous work, the fire was fully out and a different crew was brought in to ensure the flames didn’t come back overnight.
At this time, investigators with the Victoria Fire Inspectors were brought in to begin trying to determine the fire’s origin.
During the fire, multiple apartments were impacted and the entire building remains evacuated.
BC Transit buses had to be brought in to help and accommodate the many displaced residents.
“Overall, an extremely complex fire that tested our firefighters and leadership of our Officers,” said the Victoria Firefighters Association.
