VANCOUVER -- Police and fire officials in Saanich are investigating after flames engulfed a sporting goods store Saturday morning.
The incident occurred at the back of the Island Outfitters building on Douglas Street around 6:40 a.m., according to Sgt. Brad Brajcich of the Saanich Police Department.
"The rear of the building was fully engulfed in flames, and there was smoke throughout the whole premises," Brajcich said.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, Brajcich said, and it's too early to say whether the fire is suspicious or not.
No one was in the store at the time the fire broke out, and there were no injuries in the blaze, he said.
Photos and video posted on social media showed the fire lighting up the pre-dawn sky over the building, prompting many users to wonder what had happened.
That's what crews from both Saanich police and Saanich fire will now be working to figure out, Brajcich said.
"A fire like this, of this magnitude, will always have a joint investigation with the Saanich Fire Department as well as Saanich police," he said.
Brajcich said Island Outfitters sells guns and ammunition, but those were not affected by the flames, something he called "very fortunate."
He said he's not sure what would have happened if the ammunition had caught fire.
"It's just lucky that the fire never got to that location," Brajcich said.
