'There could've been people inside': Sooke building burned in suspicious fire was days away from demolition
An excavator is pulling down what’s left of an old, familiar landmark in Sooke – after the former Mulligan’s Bar and Grill site was torched in a fire early Wednesday morning.
Firefighters rushed to the property at 2197 Otter Point Rd. around 5:30 a.m., finding lots of flames and one bit of relief.
"There could’ve been people inside," said Sooke Fire Rescue Department deputy chief, Matt Barney.
"But we confirmed there wasn’t and that was the main thing," he said.
The fire at 2197 Otter Point Rd. was called in by a passerby around 5:25 a.m. (CTV News)
The property, which was the former location of Mulligan's Bar and Grill until 2012, later served as a homeless shelter, and was vacant and slated for demolition and redevelopment at the time of the fire.
"Everyone’s talking about it," said Sooke resident Maggie Evans, who learned about the fire on social media when she woke up.
She was staying at a friend’s house nearby and says she was surprised they didn’t hear the sirens.
"I couldn’t even believe that it was a true story, but here we are," said Evans’ friend, Krista Schley.
Police are standing by, ready to pick up the investigation, because fire officials believe the cause of the fire is suspicious.
"We have evidence that there was forced entry into the structure and then, of course, there’s no power," said the deputy fire chief.
"There’s no utility going to the building. It’s been vacant for quite a long time," he added.
FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION
Sooke RCMP say an arson investigation is underway, though it's still in its early stages.
Bill Foster is a listed property owner for the land. He says they recently took their insurance off the property upon completion of hazmat removal.
Foster says they were getting ready for a demolition that was just days away.
"It basically is going to cost a bit more money to demo it than was already planned," he said.
There are plans to redevelop the land for housing and commercial space.
The road was closed around the property for hours as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and the excavator worked to take down the remainder of the burnt building.
Sooke RCMP say that Wednesday's fire is the fourth suspicious fire to occur within the District of Sooke over the last two months.
Police say that each of the fires were set in a "similar geographic area," within walking distance of Sooke's downtown core.
The first two fires were lit at an unoccupied structure on Eustace Road on Aug. 11 and again on Sept. 18.
The third suspicious fire affected a derelict vehicle at an abandoned residence on Townsend Road on Sept. 27, according to police.
"Clearly a pattern of suspicious fires has been established and investigators are working to identify a suspect and, in turn, prevent further person-caused fires in our community," said Sgt. Kevin Shaw, operations commander for the Sooke RCMP in a release.
"Each fire has been reported in the late night or early morning hours, and the Sooke RCMP encourage members of the public to report any information about the fires, or any suspicious activities to the Sooke RCMP," he said. "While each of these fires have involved unoccupied property, they still pose an obvious risk to the public and to the emergency services called to respond."
Anyone with information, or who may have dashcam footage of Otter Point Road between 2 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, is asked to contact Sooke RCMP in person or by phone at 250-642-5241.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.