Prince George fire crews spent more than 12 hours on scene at a recent blaze in the Hart.
Crews from four different halls were called out at 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5 to a commercial structure fire at Spotless Uniform and Linen, located in the 3900 block of Kenworth Road.
The first arriving crews found the building partially involved in fire. Extinguishing the blaze took several hours and required the use of a ladder truck, as well as hand lines and master streams from other apparatus.
The fire caused extensive damage to the building, resulting in a total loss of the structure and an estimated $1.9 million in damages.
Nearby vehicles and buildings were spared.
Spotless handles commercial and industrial uniform and fabric cleaning for customers in BC and Alberta.
Tammy Holmgren, general manager at Spotless Uniform, told The Citizen they are incredibly thankful no one was hurt. She said the company will work with authorities and continue to serve customers at its other locations.
Crews remained on scene Wednesday, Aug. 6 to monitor the building and extinguish any hot spots or problem areas.
Greg Wood, the route supervisor at Spotless Uniform, was at the scene Wednesday morning and said the fire was believed to have started on the east end of the building. He speculated that a power box may have been to blame.
However, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Fire Chief Bryan Burleigh held a press conference at the scene later Wednesday, emphasizing that fire suppression is still underway and it may be several days before an investigation can be conducted
“Firefighters from four fire halls, 19 suppression members, arrived here to find a fully involved commercial structure,” said Burleigh. “Big events like this take several days. We're still managing hotspots and extinguishing fire, and that has to be completely extinguished before any investigation can be conducted here.”
Burleigh, during the conference, added some details about the steps firefighters took to tackle the blaze when arriving on scene.
“We first arrived on scene, our incident commander built an overall incident action plan," said Burleigh. "That's based on strategies, priorities, and is achieved through tactical assignments. Upon arrival, it was confirmed that there were no occupants in the building, so that takes away one of the life safety hazards for us. The building was fully involved on arrival with fire and heavy fuel loads from the unconsumed fuels, meaning the smoke. It was deemed to be a defensive operation right from that line.”
He also added that the void spaces in larger commercial buildings, like Spotless Uniform, create challenges when it comes to fighting fires.
During the press conference, he praised the teamwork and efficiency of Prince George fire crews in tackling the overnight blaze.
“It was the quick action, the preparedness due to training, the professionalism, and just the teamwork and the collaboration,” said Burleigh. “A fire of this nature comes with an incredible amount of work and as you can see, it's almost going to be 24 hours to extinguish a fire of this nature.”
Work crews were also present and had begun fencing off the site in the aftermath of the fire. Security and insurance personnel were on scene but were unable to confirm any details to The Citizen.
There were no injuries to civilians or fire personnel in the incident.
