The damage in the fire that destroyed the Vancouver Auto Liquidation Centre on the Langley Bypass has been estimated at $1 million by the Langley City fire department, fire chief Rory Thompson said Monday.
The building in the 20300 block of Langley Bypass was demolished after a stolen Super Save Hydro Vac truck plowed through the gate of the Vancouver Auto Liquidation Centre around 2:45 a.m. on June 28, driving straight into the front of the building.
Fire file video
Fire crews arrived to find a fire had spread to the building and was quickly spreading.
No one was in the burned vehicle .
The blaze caused the roof to collapse, which shifted the support beams in the building, making it unsafe to enter and unsafe to stay standing.
Police forensic investigators went over the scene before the building was torn down.
No arrests have been made yet.
A car fire just outside the dealership a few nights prior was unrelated, said Thompson.
In that incident, a fire that started in a dashboard inside a vehicle caught the whole car on fire, he said.
The website for the Vancouver Auto Liquidation Centre describes it as “a locally owned family business” … and “the largest pre-owned dealership, with the most competitive pricing in BC” with an inventory of more than 250 vehicles.
The Better Business Bureau listing for the Vancouver Auto Liquidation Centre shows the company has been in business since 2008.
The business had a BBB rating of “A.”
At around the same time of the Langley incident, in Surrey, a pick up truck slammed into a building in the 18500 block of 53 Avenue, setting it on fire.
The pick up truck was also believed to be stolen.
Police aren’t saying whether the two fires are connected but they do believe the same person owned both businesses that were targeted.
It’s unknown if an accelerant was used in either fire or what the motivation might have been.
If you have information about these crimes and haven’t spoken to police call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200.
If you wish to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
