It’s business as usual at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre despite a Sunday morning blaze.
The fire — which damaged Green Room furnishings and sprinklers flooded the adjacent kitchen, hallway and Marie Fleming Hall — started around 7 a.m.
“We were extremely lucky,” said Jim Harding, Society executive director, adding that a quick response by building maintenance supervisor Lee Belanger helped prevent further damage that could have potentially caused the facility out of commission for upwards of six months.
Cause and insurance investigations are underway and the timeline for full restoration to the Green Room and Marie Fleming Hall remains unknown.
Harding said the Green Room floor, furnishings and original floor in the Marie Fleming Hall need to be replaced.
“We need to get these spaces back into operation as soon as possible. We still have a very busy schedule right up through July,” Harding said.
“We want to assure our patrons and the public that all the safety and fire prevention systems are restored and fully functional and that our performances are going ahead as scheduled. We want to thank our local partners who helped us out this week and who we may need help from over the coming weeks until the restoration is complete.”
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