AT least nine West Vancouver businesses suffered significant damage Sunday night after fire broke out in an Ambleside commercial building.
West Vancouver firefighters raced to the 1300-block of Marine Drive around 10 p.m when numerous witnesses called to report smoke and flames coming from the roof of Tasos restaurant. Crews kept the blaze contained to the kitchen, but eight neighbouring businesses suffered severe water damage, according to West Vancouver assistant fire chief Martin Ernst.
The building sat boarded up and guarded by security Tuesday morning. A structural engineer was on site later that day to gauge the building's integrity.
"The upper floor is definitely not safe," said Ernst. "It appears that on the upper floor, the roof section in part of it is compromised."
But there is good news for tenants on the lower floor, who will be able to get in and start salvage work as early as Wednesday.
"Letting them in sooner than later is a good idea, because we don't like water to sit over three days. Then you start getting other issues like mould," he said. "Luckily, the lower units with the water damage shouldn't be too bad to clean up. We're hoping they can get back in business as soon as possible."
Among the affected businesses: Verandah Antiques, Zhaleh Hair Salon, and H&R Block.
Thankfully, there were no injuries, though firefighters had to keep their distance from the building while battling the blaze.
"We initially treated it as an offensive fire (and) went into the building, but there was a lot of electrical arcing from the panels, so we pulled our members out and brought B.C. Hydro in," he said.
It took firefighters about an hour to knock the flames down, though smaller fires reignited inside throughout the night. It appears that the fire started in the kitchen, but there are no apparent clues as to its cause, said Ernst.
"It's in shambles in there. There's so much burned debris; we'll be sifting through it for days," he said.
The investigations by the fire department and insurance companies into the cause of the fire is likely to start later in the week.
The building has been for sale by the City of Vancouver since early in the spring, according to a sign posted on the exterior.
