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Suspicious fire in Saanich Sunday afternoon forces evacuation of apartment building

Four engines and 17 firefighters responded to fire in underground parking lot
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Residents of this Saanich apartment building in the 3200-block of Quadra Street had to evacuate Sunday afternoon because of a fire deemed suspicious in the building’s underground parking lot. (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)

A Sunday afternoon fire that forced residents of a Saanich apartment to evacuate homes remains under investigation with officials considering it suspicious.

“It’s under investigation as suspicious,” said James Crighton, platoon captain with the Saanich Fire Department, of the fire in the 3200-block of Quadra Street. He declined to confirm a report from the scene that somebody had set a portable toilet in the apartment’s underground parking ablaze.

“I can’t give you that information at this time,” he said. “I can’t divulge anything until we have concrete proof of what actually happened,” he added. He later confirmed though that the fire was in the underground parking lot.

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Crighton said four engines and 17 firefighters responded to the fire, which did not cause any reported injuries. It is not clear how much damage the fire caused though. “It was in an area where there was concrete,” he said. “So we will have to get a determination from the investigator.”

It is not clear how many people had to leave the building. Pictures from the scene of the fire — which started around 1 p.m. — show a woman holding a child outside the building as Saanich firefighters were rushing to the scene.

Black Press Media will continue to update this story as details become available.


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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com

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Four engines and 17 firefighters responded to a fire in Saanich in the 3200-block of Quadra Street. An unknown number of individuals including this woman holding a child had to leave the building. (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)


Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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