Huge fire destroys strip mall in Surrey
13 fire trucks and 50 firefighters battle blaze
A massive four-alarm fire on Scott Road, Surrey, destroyed as many as nine businesses early Thursday morning, at 8318 Forest Hill Plaza.
Surrey Deputy Fire Chief Larry Thomas said dozens of firefighters encountered heavy smoke when they were called to the scene, at about 2:30 a.m. In just a short time the small fire and smoke seen at the rear of the building had engulfed the basement in a blazing inferno.
Local and Vancouver TV stations were already airing footage of the blazing inferno in the early hours showing over 50 firefighters and 13 fire trucks battling the blaze.
By around 6:30 a.m. firefighters had managed to contain the blaze, said deputy chief Karen Fry of the Surrey Fire Service. However local residents said they could smell the smoke from the fire blocks away.
The complex housed a number of businesses including the Bombay Palki Restaurant, City Pizza, a currency exchange and an accountant’s office. Most of these businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed. Some businesses on the second floor were so badly burned there was nothing left to be seen as the blaze was so intense. Fire services said nobody was injured during the fire.
The plaza is located next to the Voice newspaper offices which escaped the blaze. Fry said that a firewall prevented the blaze from spreading to the adjoining buildings. Another fireman said the direction of the wind and the fact fire services managed to get the blaze under control were also instrumental in the fire not spreading to other buildings.
Some Voice office staff arrived to find firefighters still dousing billowing white smoke and dozens of firefighters still on the scene. Yellow marker tape cordoned off the plaza and adjoining complex and the busy section of Scott Road was completely sealed off until the afternoon.
The Voice newspaper reopened at around 11.00am after the fire service gave the all clear and hydro restored power to the building.
“There’s going to be lots of hot spots all day,” Thomas said on Thursday morning adding, “At this time we have no idea what caused the fire and do not want to speculate,” Thomas said. “It’s unsafe to do any investigation at this time and the building is hazardous as we still have an issue with the structures roof. So we need to get it cooled down before we can investigate.”
The fire is believed to have started in the basement of the complex.
Thomas also said “There were no injuries and no occupants in the building as far as we’re aware of,” he said at the scene. “It was a very intense fire.”
The fire was in fact so fierce that firefighters had to tackle the fire from the outside using cranes and hoses as the inferno consumed the upper shell of the building and the roof.
Deputy Chief John Caviglia said the only injury was a utility worker who apparently stumbled and broke his arm. Caviglia said it would be a few days before a fire inspector is able to get in to examine the cause of the fire.
“There is a huge amount of damage and an unstable roof structure with heating ventilation units on it so we cannot send people in there,” Caviglia said.
Baltej Dillon who worked for one of the plaza businesses as a clerk was still carrying his lunch bag when he told the Voice, “This is very bad I didn’t see the news and you don’t expect to turn up for work and see your office destroyed… I don’t know what my boss will do now.”
Jack Mellon who works across the street said he arrived at work to find a scene like a bomb site. “There was debris and fragments of burned wood and stuff across the street, so this must have been a huge explosion and fire; I really feel sorry for those businesses in the plaza.” He also added, “There will be some people out of work now and that is really sad.”
On Friday morning the destroyed structure still smelled of charred wood and other materials as investigators, fire personnel and building inspector assessed the damage. One worker said the building will most likely have to be demolished and rebuilt. Sniffer dogs were out looking for traces of accelerants and one of the dog handlers told the Voice the dogs were still being used. Demolition worker had already used an excavator to remove dangerous debris and the unsafe roof had been removed t. One on site worker old the Voice, the site was still under investigation to find out what caused the blaze.
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Posted by admin
on Feb 3 2012. Filed under British Columbia, Top Stories.
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