Fire at Victoria Mustard Seed halts operations
A small fire at the Mustard Seed location near downtown Victoria has caused the food bank to close its doors Monday.
The fire occurred in an entranceway of the 625 Queens Ave. facility early Monday morning, according to Colleen Sparks, Mustard Seed director of development.
Firefighters quickly dealt with the flames, but the extent of the smoke damage in the building is unknown.
Victoria Fire Chief Daniel Atkinson says 17 firefighters and six apparatus responded to the fire.
"Preliminary investigation indicates the fire began outside the structure and extended to the interior," he said.
A restoration team is assessing the building to see if it's safe to re-enter, and what effects there may be on food donations.
The cause of the fire and damage estimates are still being determined Monday, according to Atkinson.
"We're having a hygienist come through the restoration company to let us know about the food here," said Sparks.
"Whether or not the food that we have here on site is still safe to be handed out, or whether or not we have to bring new food over and, unfortunately, throw out the food we have here," she said.
No one was injured in the fire.
The Mustard Seed location will be closed for the remainder of Monday, and may be closed for the next several days. The timeline is unclear since the assessment is still underway, says Sparks.
In the meantime, the Mustard Seed is considering using the parking lot of the Victoria location to temporarily operate out of.
"We're going to try to expedite the repairs at the end of the building that's farthest from the fire so we can use that as a space," added Sparks.
She says the Victoria Mustard Seed will be unable to accept new food donations Monday, and likely the next few days, as it responds to the fire.
"We appreciate donations, but today's not the day," she said.
"I think I would just want the community to hope the best for us to get up and running as quickly as possible," said Sparks.
"We'll be working as hard as we can to get ourselves up and open in the next few days as quickly as possible," she said. "We thank the community for all the support over the years."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.