Kamloops Fire Rescue crews were able to prevent damage to neighbouring businesses after a significant late-night fire gutted a vacant storefront in downtown Kamloops.
Fire crews were called to 418 Victoria St., the former Fashion 5 location, shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14. Crews arrived to find the one-time women’s fashion boutique fully engulfed in flames.
Platoon Captain Kris Krutop said the intensity of the fire led crews to make early strategic decisions to protect surrounding buildings that share walls with the storefront.
“The on-scene incident commander made some decisions pretty early on to have crews working at both the front and the back of the building,” Krutop said. “They strategically approached it and there’s little or no damage. I don’t believe there is any damage.”
While adjoining businesses were spared, the vacant storefront itself has been completely gutted. Krutop noted the building may have been undergoing renovations at the time of the fire.
Engineering crews are now assessing the overall stability of the structure to determine whether it is safe for investigators to enter. If the building is deemed unsafe, part or all of it may need to be torn down before an investigation can continue.
“We’ve got to make sure it’s safe for people to go and do work of any kind,” Krutop said, pointing to concerns about collapse zones and public safety.
Kamloops RCMP also attended the scene to assist Kamloops Fire Rescue. Police were called to the alley behind the 400 block of Victoria Street at approximately 11:15 p.m. and have been keeping the area secure.
“At this time Kamloops RCMP is keeping the scene secure until investigators are able to attend to learn more about the cause of the fire,” said Cpl. Dana Napier, spokesperson for the Kamloops RCMP. “The fire was suppressed preventing the spread to further property damage to other buildings.”
Traffic through the 400 block of Victoria Street was closed for several hours following the fire. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000 and reference file number 2026-1404.
