One of the campers at a Central Saanich farm known for helping Victoria’s homeless population was destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning.
The founder of Woodwynn Farms says his dog woke him up around 4 a.m. and that’s when he saw one of the trailers was fully engulfed in flames.
“I was shocked how quickly it went from my discovering it to it was all completely aflame, this giant ball of fire,” said Richard Leblanc.
Nobody was living inside camper at the time of the blaze and those staying nearby were uninjured.
The farm can provide accomodation for eight people and Leblanc says the fire means they’ve lost a spot for someone who needs to get off the streets.
“To provide that service has taken a significant set back,” Leblanc said. “Mostly it’s a message that we need to get proper housing here on our farm and proper housing in our project.”
Leblanc has previously said the farm's treatment program is being underutilized.
In September, he called on the province to help fast-track rezoning applications so the farm can house closer to 100 recovering addicts.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Leblanc says it may have been caused by a heater.
“It appears there was something leaning against the heater that may have either had an electrical shortage or maybe had been left on and caught from that,” he said.
