Abbotsford city hall closed due to fire; cause under investigation

Firefighters' tape blocks part of Abbotsford City Hall on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. (Michele Brunoro / CTV News Vancouver)

A British Columbia city hall was closed Tuesday morning due to a fire, officials said.

The City of Abbotsford posted on social media that the building on South Fraser Way was closed for the time being.

In an email, a spokesperson told CTV News that the fire was reported shortly before 7 a.m., and that a portion of the first floor was impacted. The city later clarified on its website that the fire was outside of one of the entrances, not inside the building.

Abbotsford Asst. Fire Chief Tom Dodd said firefighters arrived to find the fire in an alcove of the building "quite involved," and that the flames had started to reach into the building.

He said the damage was mostly on the outside of the building, but that flames got into the structure and then to the office area just inside the entrance. Some windows were broken.

A shopping cart was left near the building, and Dodd said crews are looking into whether it has some connection to the fire.

The only injury reported was a minor cut to a firefighter's hand, he said.

The cause is under investigation.

Those who'd planned to go to city hall for services are asked to visit the city's website instead.

Employees were told to check in with their manager for further direction.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Michele Brunoro