There’s a “strong likelihood” that human activity was a contributing factor in a fire Wednesday in the Turner building, says Victoria’s fire chief.
While there’s no obvious indication of what may have caused the stubborn fire in the long-vacant structure on Richmond Avenue, there is evidence that people have been “in and out of that building over a number of years,” said Dan Atkinson.
“Given the weather has been rainy of late and the building has been vacant for a period of time and there is no power to the property, I think it’s safe to say there’s probably a strong likelihood of human activity that may have been a contributing factor to this fire,” said Atkinson.
Victoria firefighters were returning from an emergency medical call at about 4 a.m. when they spotted smoke coming from the roof of the building, which is on a triangular lot at Richmond Avenue and Fort Street, across from Royal Jubilee Hospital.
The captain and crew stopped to investigate and the call was escalated to a “general alarm.”
There were no injuries and no one was inside the building at the time, but firefighters spent hours battling hot spots as the fire continued to smoulder in the two-storey wood-frame building.
Six fire trucks and 18 firefighters were involved in tackling the fire.
Built in 1946, the Turner building, with its distinctive rounded frontage, once housed the popular Ian’s Jubilee Coffee Shop but has been vacant for more than two decades. At various times, it also housed a convenience store and a flower shop and had apartments on the second floor. The property is assessed at $1.7 million.
Atkinson said given the well-known instability of the building — significant structural damage to the floor and ceiling joists — crews took a “defensive attack” to fight the flames from the outside, creating access points through doors and windows and cutting through the rooftop.
At one point, firefighters believed they had extinguished all of the hot spots but were called back about residual smoke.
Firefighters remained at the location late Wednesday afternoon as a safety precaution. The doors and windows at the back of the graffiti-covered stucco building were open, while the ceiling — which had partially collapsed during the fire — and parts of the upper back wall were exposed and down to the framing.
According to sa国际传媒 Assessment, the property at 2002 Richmond is owned by Island Cardiology Holdings Ltd. It last changed hands on Dec. 13, 2013 for $1.4 million.
Atkinson said he spoke to one of the owners Wednesday afternoon but did not reveal the nature of the discussion.
Victoria city councillors voted unanimously in October to move forward a proposal to replace the Turner building with a six-storey rental and retail project that includes a new public plaza.
The project, proposed by Empresa Properties, would have a rounded end and art-deco style, with amenity space on the roof, 55 rental units and three commercial units on the ground floor. The project is planned over three lots, creating a parcel bordered by Richmond Road and Birch and Pembroke streets.
Empresa Properties founder Karl Robertson said in an email Wednesday his company is not yet the property owner but is under contract to purchase it following successful rezoning, after which it will assume control of the site.
In the meantime, Empresa is assisting the current owners to ensure the temporary fencing is secure and the doors remain bolted shut, said Robertson. “Unfortunately, despite these efforts, forced entry remains a challenge.”
The condition of the property poses significant issues, said Robertson. The building needs to be demolished due to “extensive contamination, rot and bio-hazards that have accumulated over decades of neglect,” he said, adding addressing these issues will involve substantial remediation and removal costs.
Empresa said it is pushing to secure approvals from the city by the spring, so it can “carefully remove the derelict structure” and move forward with redevelopment.
Atkinson said the fire department regularly inspects the property as a vacant building to ensure access points are secured and appropriately boarded up, and inspectors found a high level of compliance.
“But any time a property is vacant, people will try to take advantage of that at times and that may have been the case in this instance as well,” he said, adding the site was not high on the department’s radar as a significant concern from a fire-risk perspective.
Empresa said it plans to transform the site into a vibrant community space, featuring a pedestrian-focused plaza with retail shops at grade and rental homes above.
“Importantly, we intend to honour the social heritage of the space in its reincarnation,” said Robertson.
The proposed public plaza would require the closing of a portion of Birch Street at the intersection with Richmond Road, and would feature trees, patios and seating areas and space to support the commercial businesses inside the new building.
The architect for the redevelopment, as noted on Empresa’s website, is Cascadia Architects with Biophilia Design Collective as the landscape architect.
There was an earlier attempt to redevelop in 2015, but a plan drawn up by architect and former Victoria mayor Alan Lowe did not proceed and the building was boarded up.
ceharnett@timescolonist
— With a file from Carla Wilson
