Caught on cam: Crews tear down old Nanaimo fire department tower
Built in 1966, the old No. 1 Fire Station in downtown Nanaimo, B.C., is slowly being demolished to make room for the newly constructed fire station.
Late Tuesday morning, the old 15-metre hose and communication tower of the old station came crashing down.
"Probably the most risky part of the demolition," said Fire Chief Tim Doyle of Nanaimo Fire Rescue.
Due to the close proximity of the old tower to the new fire station, the demolition had to be well executed.
Demo crews made relief cuts halfway up the tower, fastened cables around it and pulled it down using two excavators.
"It was described to me like almost felling a tree," added Doyle.
(Nanaimo Fire Rescue)
Once the old fire station is completely demolished, it will be paved and used as the apron for the new station where firetrucks can respond to calls.
Firefighters from the No. 1 Fire Station moved into the new hall late this summer and have a temporarily constructed firetruck bay to respond out of.
The new No. 1 Station is also the new headquarters for Nanaimo Fire Rescue management personnel as well.
The new fire hall is expected to be fully complete by the end of the year, with a grand opening ceremony happening after.
The entire project is estimated to cost $20-million.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.