Fire investigators, police at scene of suspicious blaze in downtown Kamloops

Building will be torn down

UPDATE 12:16 p.m.

An old outbuilding in downtown Kamloops will be torn down after suffering heavy damage during a fire on Sunday night.

Emergency crews were called just before 8 p.m. on Sunday for a fire at the structure, located in the alley immediately behind Victoria Landing, 619 Victoria St.

Kamloops Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Ryan Cail said the building will have to come down.

"The owner has agreed to take the building down, so the owner will put it all into bins and have it removed," he said.

While a fire investigator was at the scene on Monday morning, Cail said the cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.

The building has been used this winter by people seeking shelter.

This story will be updated if more information becomes known.

ORIGINAL 9:44 a.m.

Investigators were hard at work on Monday morning trying to pinpoint the cause of a blaze that pumped smoke into the sky above downtown Kamloops on Sunday night.

Emergency crews were called just before 8 p.m. on Sunday for a fire in an old outbuilding behind 624 Seymour St., located in the alley immediately behind Victoria Landing, 619 Victoria St.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the lone building, which appears to have suffered significant damage.

Kamloops Fire Rescue told Castanet there is no word yet on a cause, but a team of investigators is on scene working to determine how the fire started.

Photo: Tim Petruk

Fire investigators and police are present on Monday morning at the scene of a fire in the alley between Seymour Street and Victoria Street just east of Sixth Avenue.