2613 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Devastating fire at Telegraph Cove overnight and into the morning.

Several structures appear to have been damaged, at least two destroyed. The fire reportedly started on a vessel, and spread to the village. The Port McNeill fire department is 26km away. Hyde Creek might be a couple of km closer.

But yeah, unless there were people available immediately this fire would have spread without resistance for quite a while before firefighters could arrive.

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[Victoria Watcher]

The occupants of a burning house in View Royal narrowly escaped out the back of the building early Tuesday, View Royal Fire Rescue says.

Twenty five firefighters from View Royal, Colwood, Langford and Esquimalt responded just after midnight to the blaze on Damon Drive, near the intersection of the Island Highway and Six Mile Road, with a total of four engine companies and a ladder truck.


https://www.timescol...n-time-10041454

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 January 2025 - 11:26 AM.

[Mike K.]

West Shore RCMP says they’re investigating the fire as arson. Video link at: https://fb.watch/wZoX2bsAW0/?

Press release:

West Shore RCMP is currently investigating an arson to a single-family home.

On January 7 2025, at approximately 12:40 a.m. West Shore RCMP Frontline officers responded to a report of a fire at a single-family home located on the 300 block of Damon Drive in View Royal. As officers arrived, View Royal Fire Department was already on scene putting out the fire.

All occupants of the home were safely evacuated. The home did sustain significant damage and police are investigating this fire as an arson.

West Shore RCMP Serious Crimes Unit is in charge of this investigation and will be working alongside View Royal Fire Department Fire investigators.

Police are seeking the public’s assistance in this investigation and you will see officers canvassing the area for witnesses and video surveillance.

If you have a dash camera and were driving in and around the area of Damon Drive between 10:00 p.m. on Jan 6 and 3:00 a.m. Jan 7 please call West Shore RCMP at 204-952-6142.

The investigation is in its very early stages and no further details will be shared at this time. Though the fire was safely put out, it did pose a risk to public safety and police are advising the public in the area to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to police immediately.

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria firefighters were called to a home in the Oaklands neighbourhood early Friday morning to douse a fire.

 

The call came in at 2:40 a.m. after a neighbour smelled smoke and called 911, so firefighters were dispatched to 2226 Shakespeare Street.

 

“Smoke and flames were visible on the upper level at the rear of the residential home,” Victoria Firefighters IAFF Local 730 said in a post on Facebook.

 

“It was quickly established that all residents had safely exited the house, and fire operations commenced.”

 

Crews began battling the blaze from outside of the house, working to confine the flames so that others could enter and work on it from inside.

 

When they were able to enter, firefighters entered the second floor from an external staircase, found the fire, and began fighting it from inside.

 

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...e-fire-1233291/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 January 2025 - 08:14 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

'So distraught': Blaze destroys autobody shop near Duncan

 

 

The fire, which gutted the shop owned by Isherwood Body & Fender off Boys Road, is believed to be related to one at the same location Monday evening.

https://www.timescol...duncan-10109637

[Bambam]

Had quite the bonfire on the end of our street last night; we woke up about 3am to sounds of dogs howling, lots of voices outside and sirens that seemed to never end. We hopped out of bed got dressed and joined maybe 40 other neighbors watching a rental home belching a ton of oily black smoke and going up like a firecracker until the FD got there. 

Turned out there were three suites, all rentals; the tenants in one unit had hosted a party that got way out of control. A guy was kicked out and came back not once but three times, setting two cars on fire the last time. They in turn set the carport alight and from there part of the main structure on fire.

 

When VicPD got there "buddy" was covered in blood - there was apparently something of a knife fight in addition to the fire.

 

When the police called the amubulance service to treat him I gather he got very agitated and really got into it with the police screaming at them to eff-off and that he didn't need an ambulance blah blah blah. Its when you see emergancy responders having to deal with this crap live and in person that your respect level goes way up. They tolerate and take a lot of s*** that the average person likely would not. I would have smacked him on the noggon with my baton, which is why I'm not a cop I guess. He was threatening them, the tenants, neighbors etc. Eventually he submitted for treatment as he really had lost a lot of blood. Police were on site all night and most of today. 

[Mike K.]

Oh geez. You know I was thinking of you guys when I heard of the fire, but didn’t realize that your home was that close.

You could smell the aftermath from quite a distance away today. Tragic outcome, but it could have been so much worse.

[Barrister]

What neighbourhood are you in, did not hear of this on the news.

[Bambam]

Oh geez. You know I was thinking of you guys when I heard of the fire, but didn’t realize that your home was that close.

You could smell the aftermath from quite a distance away today. Tragic outcome, but it could have been so much worse.

 

They are on the dead end cul-de-sac so on the very opposite end of the street from us, we're two houses in from the Arcadia St end - 150/200 meters-ish away. 

[Bambam]

What neighbourhood are you in, did not hear of this on the news.

 

We're on Inskip Street one over from Selkirk which is the general neighborhood name for our area. Selkirk is the road that fronts onto the Gorge waterway between Tillicum Rd to the west and dead-ends literally at Banfield Park to the east.

 

Inskip is in the really weird bit of Esquimalt that sits within spitting distance of both the City of Victoria and Saanich borders. If I stood on our roof and threw a baseball as hard as I could to the east it would eventually land in Victoria. Same thing if I tossed it north-west except the ball would wind up in Saanich.

 

"Selkirk" is a beautiful and very quiet waterfront neighborhood that almost never sees even a patrolling VicPD cruiser. When I lived in Fairfield/Cook St Vilage (2007-12} that area was far more noisy and had infinitely more interactions with both the police and emergency responder/ambulance traffic by comparison. The only reason IMO the occasional cruiser even drives by our place is the cop is taking a shortcut from Tillicum to Craigflower and is avoiding the typically heavy traffic at that light, lol....

[Mike K.]

Crazy times, man.

[Victoria Watcher]

The Esquimalt Firefighters Association says all occupants were able to safely escape a fully involved house fire that caused significant damage early Sunday.

 

Firefighters responded to the blaze on Inskip Street, in the Craigflower/Tillicum Road area, at 3:17 a.m. April 27 with engine 10 and ladder 10, according to the association. CFB Esquimalt and Victoria fire crews were also dispatched.

 

“Thankfully, on arrival, crews confirmed all occupants made it out safely,” the association said in a Facebook post later Sunday morning.

 

“The fire, which appeared to have started outside the home, caused significant damage to multiple vehicles and the structure of the home.”

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...t-fire-1251630/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 April 2025 - 11:23 PM.

[pontcanna]

Update | Quadra Street Fire

 

April 29, 2025

 

Saanich Police Detectives have completed their investigation into the fire that destroyed a condominium building under construction on November 20, 2024, in the 3800 block of Quadra Street.

 

After a thorough review of the evidence, investigators have deemed the fire not suspicious. The exact cause of the fire remains undetermined.

 

File No. #24-21769

 

Jason Hallman | Communications Advisor

 

[Mike K.]

A gas leak on Blackwood Street yesterday afternoon turned into a blowtorch of flame.

This is a heck of a sight. Luckily Vic Fire was already responding when the gas leak caught fire.

https://x.com/vibran...LNt72cvXf0yWpgg