VICTORIA -- A massive fire that occurred almost eight months ago has forced a local business to shut down for good.
The owner of Sattva Spa told CTV News Vancouver Island on Saturday the damages the business suffered from the fire back in May destroyed their business.
“I feel a certain amount of shock that this actually happened,” said Heidi Sherwood.
The Plaza Hotel, a historic hotel building in downtown Victoria, burned to the ground on May 6. No one was injured during the fire, but the building’s caretaker has been missing since.
Police believe the fire to be the work of an arsonist, but have not provided any updates on their investigation. No arrests have been made. Back in July, police released a photo of the building’s caretaker, Mike Draeger.
The investigation into the caretaker and cause of the fire are being done in tandem.
Sherwood said the fire was extensive and caused severe structural damage to her business.
“The water damage destroyed the inside of the building and the lead time for restoration and mediation is three-to-five years; it could even be longer,” said Sherwood. “As a small business, we are not in a position to continue at this time.”
Sherwood said the business notified staff on Friday that it would not be reopening the spa and posted a letter on its website on Saturday.
“There could not have been more damage to our building,” she said.
Sherwood was hopeful the business could reopen one day and said she is still shocked that it won’t be able to.
