Multiple businesses destroyed after massive fire in downtown Chilliwack

An investigation is underway in Chilliwack after a massive fire overnight.

Multiple businesses have been destroyed after a suspicious fire at a mixed-used building in downtown Chilliwack.

Fire crews were called to Wellington Avenue near Main Street at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

When they arrived, thick plumes of smoke were already pouring out of the second-floor apartments.

Three dozen firefighters from all six local halls were called in to assist.

“They had to withdraw after a period of time due to high heat and deteriorating conditions, the fire was quite deep seated, and we transitioned to a defensive attack,” said Asst. Fire Chief Wade Meeres of the Chilliwack Fire Department.

Crews used multiple aerial ladders and handlines to try and tackle the towering flames.

The field of debris extended around the block and witnesses described it looking like a war zone.

One witness said the flames were massive.

“I think they were higher than the telephone poles,” said Pandy Warhol.

Video on social media shows bright orange flames shooting into the sky, with the downtown core inundated with thick black smoke.

“The building was, or is believed to be, unoccupied in the apartments at the time, and the commercial building down below was unoccupied, so there are no firefighter or civilian injuries at this time,” said Meeres.

He says two units are heavily damaged.

“The damage is significant. The roof is mostly burnt off of the building, and so it will be a significant process to determine whether the building is going to stay or be torn down,” said Meeres.

Two adjacent units on either side suffered minor smoke and water damage.

The businesses with the worst damage appear to be a Vietnamese restaurant, a jeweller, and wig and beauty supply shop.

The owner of the beauty shop, Beautilandia, has been renovating the space for months.

Her sons tell CTV News she had planned to host her grand opening this upcoming weekend.

“This space means practically everything to her. These past few months, I’m talking like 10 hour work days, 12 hours,” said Jhon Palomino.

Palomino says his mother is an extremely hard worker and opening the shop has been a lifelong dream of hers.

“She always wanted to get her own beauty shop and inspire other women,” said Palomino.

He says he’s uncertain what the future of the business is now.

As bad as the damage is, Meeres said it could have been catastrophic, given the size of the fire and close proximity of the buildings in the downtown area.

He says he’s very proud of the efforts by fire crews.

“Ultimately, their hard work helped save that whole strip of downtown. So it was a really great job on the crew’s part, in my opinion,” said Meeres.

He said it was a very challenging fire.

“We think it was burning for a while before being noticed and was significantly involved in the roof space before we arrived. So, with an older building and the construction of it, it made access to that attic space very challenging,” said Meeres.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“The fire is suspicious for now, and so RCMP will be maintaining the scene for integrity until the investigation teams can do their work and do a full investigation,” said Meeres.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Chilliwack Fire Department and the RCMP.