Abbotsford Condo under construction razed by suspicious fire

A four-storey condo complex under construction in Abbotsford was burned to the ground and a family is without a home after a vicious fire late Tuesday night.

Abbotsford Fire Rescue was called out to The Crossing real estate development on Marshall Road west of McCallum just prior to midnight.

Firefighters arrived to find flames shooting over 30 metres in the air from one of the complex’s three building sites.

Nearby resident Robert Smith said he had to stop halfway down the block because the heat was so intense.

“I’ve never seen such a ball of fire. It lit up the whole area,” he said.

More than 100 firefighters from all of the city’s halls were called out.

Mission and Chilliwack fire departments were put on alert to cover the area.

Deputy Fire Chief Mike Helmer said the wood-framed structure went up so quickly that crews concentrated on containing the fire and keeping surrounding structures safe.

The job was made more difficult by glowing embers the size of walnuts being blown about in the wind in dry conditions, said one firefighter.

Nearby homes and businesses were evacuated due to the intense heat, and some residents were not able to return until the early hours of the morning.

Emergency Social Services (ESS) director Terri-Lou Woods said two families had to evacuate for the night, as their homes on either side of the fire were in immediate danger.

One family – a father and his teenage daughter – are facing a “struggle” and are in “rough shape,” said Woods.

They do not have insurance and the windows of their rental home are blown out, and the west side of the house is badly charred from the immense heat. The daughter’s bedroom was damaged by the fire, said Woods.

“They are a little shaken up,” she said. “They are going to need to find a new place to stay.”

ESS will provide the pair with food and shelter for 72 hours, and then help them find shelter and try to supply them with what they may need.

No residents were hurt in the blaze, but a number of firefighters suffered injuries.

One was sent to hospital with a possible broken leg after getting tangled in the rebar on the site, said Helmer.

Three others were treated on scene – one for a twisted ankle and two for heat exhaustion.

The heat from the fire was so intense it cracked some windows of the Gateway professional building along Marshall. Trees, telephone and hydro poles, and shrubbery along the street were completely scorched.

The Tempo condominium complex opposite on Holland Avenue also suffered damage to its windows and doors. The building’s strata council president Leonard Kerkhoff said the evacuation of the Tempo’s 100 or so residents was a relatively ordered affair.

“Residents were fairly calm once they realized it wasn’t their building on fire,” he said.

“But it’s kind of a gut-wrenching feeling when you look out the window, and all you see is flames.”

Police are describing the fire as suspicious, but fire investigators still don’t know what caused the blaze.

Damage from the fire is estimated to be in the millions.

The only thing remaining of the structure is the charred concrete block elevator shaft rising up from blackened beams.

The condo development company Palcor would not comment about the impact of the fire on clients who have pre-purchased suites.

One- and two-bedroom units at The Crossing were being pre-sold and advertised on the Internet, ranging from $160,000 to close to $278,000.

The complex was advertised to be ready by fall. Phase one and two of the project were already sold out.

As many as 1,300 other area residents lost telephone service after the fire burned two cable lines.