Firefighters are investigating a blaze that tore through two storage shed structures beside a hardware store in Port Alberni.
The Port Alberni Fire Department was called to the fire beside the Westcoast Home Hardware Building Centre in the 3500-block of Johnston Road around 2:45 a.m.
The fire destroyed the two outbuildings, but did not damage the hardware store itself, according to the fire department.
Firefighters note that while some bricks of the hardware store have been blackened, the flames were put out before they could penetrate the business itself.
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PAFD, @ccvfd5920 , @BeaverCreekVFD & @slvfd_ca are on the scene of a structure fire on Johnston Road near Cherry Creek Road. #structurefire pic.twitter.com/9vypHUAF4U
— Port Alberni Fire (@portalbernifire) November 4, 2023
On Saturday morning, the Westcoast Home Hardware Building Centre said it was open as usual after “someone started a fire in one of our storage sheds.”
“We would like to give a big thank you to all the fire departments and firefighters for containing this fire,” said the business in a social media post.
The Port Alberni Fire Department, Cherry Creek Fire Department, Beaver Creek Volunteer Fire Department and Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department all responded to the blaze.
The PAFD says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Adam Chan
