The investigation into a fire that lit up Island Outfitters on Douglas Street early Saturday morning continues.
Co-owner Darren Wright said he still has not been able to go into the building to assess the damage as fire and police crews work jointly to investigate the scene for clues into what started the fire. Wright said the situation “really sucks” especially for his employees.
Crews responded to a call about a structure fire near the intersection of Douglas Street and Cloverdale Avenue around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. The fire started in the exterior of the commercial building making it a challenge to contain, as the location was difficult to access. By 8 a.m. fire crews had the fire out and the building was being ventilated.
READ MORE: UPDATED: Saanich fire crews quickly contain ‘challenging’ morning fire on Douglas Street
Deputy Fire Chief Dan Wood, said the department’s fire investigator and Saanich police are carefully looking at burn patterns for clues as to what happened. “Things fall down when they’re burning, so they’re taking it apart really carefully layer by layer,” Wood said.
Wood also said it was lucky the damage wasn’t worse, considering winds were blowing strong on Saturday. He said the fire could have been much worse if the wind was blowing in the opposite direction, towards the building.
Saanich police were unable to comment due to the ongoing investigation.
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