Suspicious fire destroys Service BC building in Port Alberni

Firefighters battle a suspicious early morning fire at a provincial government office building in Port Alberni on Tuesday. (Port Alberni Fire Department)

A suspicious fire destroyed a provincial government office building in Port Alberni, B.C., on Tuesday morning, forcing the closure of several government services while RCMP investigate what sparked the blaze.

Port Alberni firefighters were called to the building in the 4000-block of 8th Avenue at 4:02 a.m. after multiple reports of flames coming from the structure.

The building housed Service BC, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), providing a range of provincial services to residents.

“The first arriving crew found flame and fire at the front entrance and there was also quite a bit of smoke coming from the roof area,” Deputy Fire Chief Travis Cross told CTV News.

Firefighters initially tried to attack the blaze from inside the building but quickly determined the fire had spread through the attic.

“We started with an exterior attack and then transitioned in to go inside, but we just found there was too much fire throughout the attic space,” Cross said.

Concerned the roof could collapse, crews withdrew and continued fighting the fire from outside.

“That made it really difficult to put the fire out,” he said.

About 20 to 25 minutes into the operation, the roof collapsed, allowing firefighters to better access the fire.

“What really helped us was our aerial platform 100-foot ladder. It really allowed us to get up over top and once there was access through the roof, we were able to put most of it out with that apparatus,” Cross said.

No injuries were reported among firefighters, government employees or members of the public. The building was unoccupied when the fire broke out.

Cross said the damage is extensive and the fire is being treated as suspicious. The investigation has been turned over to the Port Alberni RCMP.

The fire has resulted in a complete disruption of local Service BC operations. The provincial government says anyone needing immediate assistance should use online services, call the Service BC toll-free line at 1-800-663-7867 or visit the nearest Service BC office in Nanaimo at 460 Selby St.

Cross is asking anyone who may have been in the area around the time the fire started to contact police.

“We appreciate people coming forward with any information that they may have had. It happened at 4:02 this morning, so that is a challenge,” he said.