Firefighters are responding to a fire at a former Travellers Inn in Victoria that sparked early Saturday morning, officials say. City of Victoria spokesperson Colleen Mycroft said alarms began sounding at 760 Queens Ave. near Blanshard Street at 3:50 a.m., and emergency calls reported visible flames shortly after. “Crews arrived to find balconies on the first and third floors on the front side of the building in flames,” she told CTV News. Mycroft said crews are in a “defensive operations mode,” with three aerial apparatus in the air fighting an active fire. Mutual aid from Saanich is in attendance to assist the Victoria Fire Department, officials added. Video taken at 7:44 a.m. and submitted to CTV News shows a large section of the building collapsing while firefighters work to extinguish the flames. Photos taken hours later show smoke billowing from the burning building, with standing sections charred and twisted by fire damage. Road closures were in effect through the morning and early afternoon, but the Victoria Police Department said Douglas Street has reopened in both directions, and Blanshard has reopened northbound but remains closed southbound as of around 3 p.m. “We recognize that road closures caused significant traffic congestion throughout the area, and we appreciate your understanding and co-operation,” the department said in its social media update. “Thank you to everyone for your patience today.”
