Courtenay hostel property scene of another suspicious fire
A popular hostel property in downtown Courtenay, B.C., that was badly damaged by fire in 2019 has been hit by an arsonist again this week.
Fire crews received multiple 911 calls about a vehicle on fire outside of the Cona Hostel on Anderton Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday.
“When I arrived the bus was fully involved and we had the possible exposure of the hotel,” said Courtenay's deputy fire chief, George Seigler.
The fire was in a bus on the hostel grounds and crews were able to prevent the flames from spreading into nearby trees and the adjacent building.
Seigler said the vehicle is a write-off and the fire is considered suspicious.
Milo Yakibchuk lives across the street from the hostel and says he spotted the fire on his security camera.
“I came running out to see what was going on," Yakibchuk said. "I thought it might be the building set ablaze again for the third time but it turned out it was the bus this time.”
Fire crews received multiple 911 calls about a vehicle on fire outside of the Cona Hostel on Anderton Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday. (CTV News)
Yakibchuk says he saw a man with a shopping cart near the building who left prior to fire crews arriving. The man was back again at 6 a.m. Friday when another fire was lit inside a doorway.
He says he and others who live in the area are having growing concerns about the building.
“Unfortunately there was another incident a couple of months back where garbage got set on fire," he said. "It took getting the whole fire crew out here to get that out. The third time is the bus now. It would be nice if it was either levelled or rebuilt and not let it sit like this for too much longer."
The first fire in the hostel in March 2019 displaced a dozen tenants and caused the closure of the business.
“The hostel has been vacant since March of 2019, definitely a concern," Seigler said. "We’ve got homeless in and out of the city and with the winter now it’s definitely a place to stay warm."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.