The Lake Cowichan Volunteer Fire Department responded to a structure fire shortly before midnight on Monday, June 1.
According to fire chief Doug Knott, the blaze was in a “fair-sized shop” and motorhome on an uninhabited lot near the corner of old Cowichan Lake Road and Mayo Road. A house on the property previously burned down about a year ago.
Both the building and the RV were fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, more than 10 km from the fire hall. The Sahtlam fire department was called in for mutual aid, providing tenders.
The shop was located behind tree cover and some distance off the road, so the fire may have been burning for some time before neighbours called it in.
Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours, Knott reported.
“It was a large building, so it was hard to put out,” he said. “The roof collapsed, and there was metal to remove.”
The investigation is now in the hands of the RCMP, who are trying to contact the property owner.