Eric's World of Leisure, located at 140 Quebec Street downtown Prince George, burned Friday night.
Owner Shirley Moore said her ex-husband was the lone occupant of the building when the fire started at about 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Eric Moore said the fire was touched off by sparks from a power saw he was using to cut through the floor in a room near the rear of the building.
"It's a wooden floor under a cement floor and I think I hit something, and it went boom," he said. "I got up, I moved five feet and I was getting the fire extinguisher and looked over my shoulder and (thought) 'I need the fire truck.' I saw flames right in front of me, as I was looking through the door."
Prince George fire chief Jeff Rowland said Sunday he's not handling the investigation personally, but did confirm Moore told firefighters it was he who caused the fire.
Firefighters, who kept the blaze from spreading to neighbouring structures, were on the scene Saturday trying to determine the exact cause of the fire.
