A pile of burnt rubble is all that's left of several buildings in Lower Gibsons gutted by fire Friday afternoon.
Just after 3 p.m. the Gibsons fire department was called out to a major structure fire at Coles Marine Diesel and the adjacent Wynkenblynkennod Backpackers B&B on Marine Drive.
Deputy fire chief Bruce McClymont said when he arrived, flames could be seen growing from on a hedge between the two structures. He said the flames were probably 10 feet above the power poles.
"We had three trucks and eight guys initially, then I made a second page for engine two and another engine arrived from Roberts Creek," said McClymont. "It was a very tricky fire to fight because of the location of the buildings. We could only fight so much of the fire on the street, and then we had to tackle it from the beach. Our guys had to battle the unstable beach ground and also make sure that they didn't get too close because as the building collapsed, it would have collapsed towards them. Kudos to all of our guys - they did a fantastic job."
McClymont said at the height of the blaze, there were 30 fire fighters on scene between the two departments.
He said several past members of the Gibsons department also made their way to the scene when word of the fire spread to provide support and help at the scene with crowd control until Sunshine Coast RCMP took over and contained the scene.
Traffic was closed off along Marine Drive for several hours. The fire was knocked down between 4 and 4:30 p.m. Gibsons fire fighters remained on the scene for several hours mopping up hot spots and ensuring the scene was safe while the Roberts Creek department cleared the scene just after 6 p.m.
McClymont said the cause of the fire is unknown, but the investigation has started.
"Our fire investigator has talked to several witnesses already and we're beginning our investigation," he said.
McClymont said there were no reported injuries and no one was inside either building when the fire started.
Suzanne Senger owned the Wynkenblynkennod Backpackers B&B. She told CBC news that she had recently shut down the B&B and a few tenants who were living in the B&B, were out of town when the fire broke out.
Debbie McCaffrey lives right across the street from Coles. She said she was inside her house when she heard a very loud, "pop, pop" and came outside to investigate.
"As soon as I got outside all I could see was a huge cloud of smoke and the flames," McCaffrey said. "The fire department got here very quickly. There were a few people outside and everyone pulled together to help block off traffic until the police arrived. I'm happy that no one was hurt, but it's devastating. I've never seen a fire like that first hand. It's just incredible how quickly a fire can go."
Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk said it was a sad day for the community.
"Coles has been there since the 1930s and the Wynkenblynkennod has been there, I think that long too," said Janyk. "This is one of those tragic loses for the community. This is one of the reasons why you try so hard to protect your heritage and retain the character of the community. A little bit of Gibsons died today."
