The residence of B.C.’s Lieutenant Governor avoided major damage following an elevator fire late Saturday night.
Crews of the Victoria Fire Department responded to Government House just before 10 p.m. after a fire alarm went off.
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Battalion Chief Brian Elvedahl said 13 crews under the command of a battalion chief along with two engines, one ladder, and a rescue vehicle responded to the building.
Responding firefighters encountered smoke on the second and third floors of the building in discovering an overheated elevator motor on top of the elevator car.
“It was quite a bit [of smoke],” said Elvedahl.
Firefighters shut off the electricity to the elevator before opening the hoist way doors on the third floor above the elevator to access the overheating motor and extinguish any flames.
Only the hoist way doors on the third floor and the elevator door motor suffered damage, as fire fighters used fans to pressurize the large building to force the smoke out through a roof hatch.
“It was challenging to clear the smoke,” he said.
But there is no evidence to suggest that the damage to the building extended to the affected elevator, said Elvedahl.
