Vernon Canadian Tire store expected to reopen in February following fire

Photo: Castanet Staff

Vernon's Canadian Tire store is expected to reopen in February following a fire that saw it closed just as the busy holiday shopping season was peaking.

Rumours abound that the store will reopen in the next few weeks.

Restoration crews have been on site at Vernon's Village Green Shopping Centre since the Nov. 19 fire, which police quickly deemed suspicious.

The fire started outside the building, in the garden centre area, spread to the building and burned up an exterior wall at the front of the store.

The sprinkler system inside the building is believed to have caused extensive damage.

Canadian Tire has not commented since the fire, other than to announce the reopening its auto service centre at the far end of the building on Dec. 5.

"The remainder of our store is still currently closed due to repairs ... we are working hard to reopen the store as soon as possible," management said in a Facebook post Dec. 2 announcing the auto centre reopening.

No one was injured in the fire.

Vernon Fire Rescue Services said crews arrived to find "a large fire outside the building, within a locked compound. Initial crews on scene knocked the fire down quickly and then gained access inside the building to confirm the extension to the structure was extinguished."