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Second fire in three days at Victoria heritage home

Fire crews are back on scene for the second time since Tuesday
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Fire crews working to put out a fire in the 200-block of Robert Street in Victoria West that started at around 8:40 p.m. on April 28. (Kendra Crighton/News Staff)

Victoria fire crews are on scene in the 200-block of Robert Street in Victoria for a second time this week. Crews are working to put out another fire at the Vic West heritage home that was ravaged by fire late Tuesday night.

Crews received a report that there was smoke coming from the home around 1 p.m. and arrived to find some smoking debris, according to Deputy Chief Dan Atkinson.

“There was a heavy content load with this particular incident and it looks like we’re just dealing with a little bit of heat that’s still trying to escape,” he said, noting that the roof of the house had partially caved in between the first and second floor.

“The wood construction of the turn-of-the-century home is generally a little bit more robust,” he said. “But the construction techniques were a little bit different. There wasn’t a lot of thought given to fire separation and things of that nature.”

Crews had doused the smoking debris by 2:40 p.m. Atkinson said on-site security will remain at the property.

READ MORE: Crews ‘turn corner’ in battling heritage house blaze, gaining the upper hand

On Wednesday, the Victoria Fire Department was at the home mopping up any hot spots and continuing its investigation into the cause of the first fire on April 28.

“Early indications are that the fire started in the back corner of the home,” Atkinson said at the time. “The occupant was the one that discovered the fire.”

Atkinson said the investigation is still ongoing and it is premature to speculate on the cause of the fire. However, he noted there is “no indication that it was suspicious.”

READ MORE: No indication Vic West heritage house fire was suspicious

Neighbours told Black Press Media there was a lot of contents around the home but Atkinson said it didn’t play a role in the fire itself and that they were able to manoeuvre around the structure.

Initial damage estimates were $500,000.

According to the Victoria Heritage Foundation, the home was built in 1903 for $2,000. The house has a “prominent two-storey corner tower,” with large central windows and a “large, flat-topped, rectangular hipped roof,” reads the Victoria Heritage Foundation’s website.

-With files from Kendra Crighton and Shalu Mehta

More to come.


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Fire crews were back at a heritage home in Vic West for a second fire on May 1. A fire tore through the home on April 28. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)