Firefighters douse commercial fire on Salt Spring Island
More than a dozen firefighters battled a fire at a commercial building in the heart of Salt Spring Island, B.C., in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue was called to the Salt Spring Linen and Dry Cleaners building, located at 116 Hereford Ave. in Ganges, around 1:12 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, they found flames and heavy smoke coming from the building's loading bay and second floor.
Fire crews worked on dousing the flames from outside the building before on-call firefighters arrived to help push firefighting efforts indoors.
"The crews did an amazing job," said Salt Spring Fire Chief Jamie Holmes in a social media post Tuesday.
"The on-duty firefighters got here quickly, started an action plan, and bought time for the [paid-on-call] firefighters to arrive and complete the job," he said. "It was a great team effort."
The fire department says the blaze is still under investigation, though early assessments have not turned up anything suspicious.
Police, paramedics and BC Hydro staff were also at the scene providing assistance, according to the fire department.
"SSIFR is asking people to please stay clear of the scene and give the business owners some time and space before inquiring about any personal items that may be on location," said the fire department.
A total of 13 firefighters and six apparatuses were used to extinguish the blaze.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
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.