Anyone driving downtown may have noticed the remains of the massive structure fire that entirely consumed the former location of the City Second Hand store.
The building caught fire shortly before 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16. It took several hours for Prince George Fire Rescue to get it under control.
Crews continued to work at the scene overnight, putting out hot spots. The intersection of 4th Avenue and Dominion Street remains closed.
At the scene Friday, Jan. 17, fire Chief Cliff Warner commented on the nature of the fire and how his crews fought the inferno. The building, also a former gas station, was being used to store furniture, all of which burned.
“Our crews encountered an extreme fire load inside that restricted their ability to get into the scene of the fire," said Warner. “This resulted in the fire expanding quickly. We had to pull out and do a defensive attack. Once it was through the roof, the contents heated up and fully ignited and it really shifted our focus to protecting the Croft and the rest of the block. Our crews did an amazing job of keeping and limiting the fire to just the building of origin.”
Warner is co-ordinating efforts with BC Hydro and Fortis to make the scene safe. He noted that crews will likely have the intersection of 4th Avenue and Dominion Street closed for some time until the intersection lights are reconnected by BC Hydro.
Warner also expressed his thanks to other first responders and the local community.
“I've been sharing the great support we received from many other entities in the community," said Warner. ”Our members did a great job, but we had good support from our friends from Fortis, Hydro, police, and sheriffs who were helping out, bylaw and ambulances. There were even people who stopped by and dropped off food and some nourishment for our firefighters. It's just really appreciated. It's a huge team effort for something like this. So it worked out as well as could be, other than losing a building.”
An investigation into the cause will be taking place in the following week once the scene is safe and clear of any danger, Warner confirmed.
There is no current estimate on the cost of damage to the building.
Smoke and water damage to The Croft was minimal, the city reported Friday, with the bar's Facebook page confirming that there was only minor smoke and water damage.
