The damage from the Columbia Street fire could top $5 million by the time all the costs are tallied.
Fire Chief Tim Armstrong is still piecing the damage estimate together with all the different insurance companies involved in the Oct. 10 fire.
“I’d saying we are pushing $5 million,” he told The Record. “I don’t know what all the businesses owners were insured to.”
Some citizens reported incidents of vandalism on Columbia Street on the evening before the fire, but Armstrong said there appears to be “no ties” to the fire.
In addition to local police and fire investigators, the Office of the Fire Commissioner and an independent investigator from another city were involved in the initial site investigation to provide “a number of different eyes” on the case.
The fire began in the E.L. Lewis Block (also known as the Crescent Block) at about 4 a.m., and spread to the adjacent Hamley Block. In addition to the 23 businesses located in the two buildings destroyed by the fire, an additional 25 were impacted by issues such as smoke and soot damage.
New Westminster fire and police officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
“We are not indicating it was arson,” Armstrong said. “That’s not the feeling we are getting. We are still in the investigation. We haven’t reported to any media outlet that it’s suspected arson.”
Other media reports suggested there may be some “negligence” involved in the fire as roofers working on the E.L. Lewis Block (the longtime home of Copp’s Shoes) had left propane canisters on the roof.
“When you are doing roofing, that is a common practice. They are within their rights to have propane canisters up there, just as people have propane canisters on their balcony for their barbecues,” Armstrong said. “They were a reputable company. They were within their rights to have that equipment up on the roof.”
Lisa Spitale, the city’s chief administrative officer, said the city continues to work with businesses and focus on the cleanup issues at the site.
The New Westminster Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Westminster Savings to set up a Downtown New Westminster Fire Relief Fund to help businesses affected by the fire.
Any funds raised or donated can be deposited into the account at any branch of Westminster Savings (account #452538201).
