Skip to content

Fire at Victoria hotel contained to one room, leaves 20 suites in need of remediation

Fire crews extinguished the blaze at the Comfort Inn in 12 minutes
21720476_web1_200415-VNE-ProvinceBuysHotelForHomeless-1_1
The B.C. government spent $18.5 million on Comfort Inn Hotel, located at 3020 Blanshard Street, to provide affordable housing to the homeless. (Kendra Crighton/News Staff)

While a fire at the Comfort Inn Hotel on Tuesday morning was contained to one room, water damage has left 20 suites in need of remediation.

Deputy Chief Dan Atkinson with the Victoria Fire Department says it was a “content fire” meaning the fire only affected the contents of the room and didn’t get into the structure of the building.

READ ALSO: Victoria fire crews extinguished the blaze in 12 minutes

More than 90 people have been moved into the hotel over the past few weeks and off of Victoria streets after the B.C. government purchased the facility to provide more affordable housing to those living along Pandora Avenue or in Topaz Park.

Three individual sprinkler heads went off in the hotel, which aided in containing the fire, but caused “significant” water damage to the suites below.

READ ALSO: Employees feel ‘backstabbed’ after hotel sold to province to house homeless

Atkinson estimates at least 20 suites will need remediation such as replacing drywall, patching ceilings or installing a fan to remove the moisture. Everyone was evacuated from the building, but there were no injuries from the fire.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze in 12 minutes after receiving the call at 8:22 a.m.



kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca

Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.