A longstanding Norgate daycare is a burnt out shell after a suspicious fire on Dec. 28, displacing about 30 kids.
District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue members raced to Novaco on Redwood Street early in the morning after a cab driver spotted smoke and flames coming from the childcare centre next to Norgate elementary.
It took between two and three hours to get the fire tamped down from the outside, according to Mike Cairns, assistant fire chief with North Vancouver District Fire and Rescue.
"The fire had a real good hold on the structure before we got there so an interior attack was not possible," Cairns said. "The fire damage was so severe, it was hard to determine an exact point of origin or cause. It's quite possible, because of the time of day, that it was arson."
The fire resulted in a total loss of three modular buildings used for the Novaco daycare, which had been open since 1973 and was operated by North Shore Neighbourhood House for the last seven years.
But things could have been much worse.
"Right off the bat, we're very, very happy that nobody was hurt, that the damage was just the daycare and that it didn't extend to the school or the neighbourhood," said Lisa Hubbard, North Shore Neighbourhood House executive director.
"By lunch on Saturday when the fire was out, we were already able to place the children."
There has been an "overwhelming" outpouring of support from members of community and other service agencies, Hubbard said, and she already has an eye on rebuilding the facility.
"We were licensed for 37 children at Novaco and we hope to rebuild for 37 children at Novaco daycare," she said.
That is an expensive task for the non-profit organization, so North Shore Neighbourhood House is accepting cash donations to help finance the cost of rebuilding above what insurance can provide.
To contact North Shore Neighbourhood House about donations, visit nsnh.bc.ca or call 604-987-8138.
