Two Mile Flat Major Structure Fire

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

The following is an update on the major structural fire which occurred Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 on Two Mile Flat. Shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at Design Flooring Ltd., 1295 Highway 97 North. The Quesnel Duty Officer arrived on scene and noticed heavy smoke coming out of the building, followed by flames a few seconds later. The building houses several businesses and an apartment.

The first engine arrived on scene with four members on board a short time after the notification and by that time, the front of the store was fully engulfed with flames. Flames could be seen coming from the front and roof of the building.

Response to the incident included three fire engines, one ladder truck, one rescue vehicle and two utility vehicles. A total of 28 members worked to subdue the fire. Fire Department personnel remained on scene until 6 p.m. that evening.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The fire destroyed three businesses and an apartment and caused extreme damage to a fourth business. The person living in the apartment, upstairs from Icon Construction Ltd. was taken care of by Emergency Social Services and fortunately, was not in the building at the time of the fire.

Due to the volume of water released at the scene, approximately 1.7 m liters, a portion of the bank (an area of approximately 6 to 7 meters by 6 meters) behind Design Flooring was compromised and collapsed. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is investigating the damage.

Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department would like to thank the staff at Service Electric for providing food and refreshments for all of the firefighters who worked tirelessly on the fire. The Department and the City of Quesnel would also like to thank Petro-Canada for their cooperation and assistance in opening up their lanes to divert traffic through the immediate area.

“We are grateful that there were no injuries as a result of this structural fire” says Quesnel Mayor Mary Sjostrom. “I would like to extend a sincere thank you to our fire fighters for their valuable service, the RCMP, HMC, Service Electric, and Petro-Canada for their cooperation and support during the fire. Our thoughts go out to the owners and employees of Design Flooring, Concord Restorations, Love Shack, Icon Construction, and our resident who was displaced from his home on Tuesday.”