A huge, four-alarm fire broke out at New Westminster in BC’s Peer Park on Sunday evening.
New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote took to Twitter to call the fire “devastating.”
“The old part of the pier is on fire, but the old pier of the park is likely to be completely destroyed,” Coat wrote.
“It simply came to our notice then. I do not believe anyone was involved in the blaze, ”he added.
The fire started at 8 pm and appeared to have started at 11 pm
“It’s very serious. It’s burning under the piles,” New Westminster City Councilor Chuck Puchmeyer said Sunday night.
Puchmire said the city sought help from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services fireboats, along with firefighters from other municipalities, including Coquitlam, Richmond and Delta.
Peer Park A 600-meter boardwalk along the recaptured waterfront between Fraser River and Front Street. According to Puchmire, it was built in 2009 at a cost of about $ 24 million.
“Right now it’s seriously compromised here, and it feels like it’s burning under this fire,” Puchmeier said. “Attacking from above is very difficult.”
“(It) literally spread out and then took over the top, which had landscapes with lawns, volleyball courts and basketball courts. And, you know, it’s a very amazing structure it Is Very stunning structure. ”
The structure was raised above the river on highly flammable chrysotile-coated piling, which former New Westminster Mayor Wayne Wright said put out the fire.
“It grows very quickly, and it looks like it,” he said.
Wright told Global News that he hopes the sections of the pier downriver will be better against fire because they are built on steel piling.
Famous Wow Westminster sculpture Created by Brazilian artist Jose Recende with four “W” shaped shipping containers, it appeared to have caught fire.
“It represents New Westminster and the workers in this part of the country,” says Wright of Sculpture.
Kaula Papakiriakopoulos owns a Taverna Greek restaurant on Columbia Street nearby and initially said the fires were not serious.
“We saw fire trucks here, but didn’t see fires for a while, and then suddenly W was on fire, it was so horrible,” she said.
The damage to the park will have a significant impact on businesses and residents of the area.
“The city has done an amazing job of restoring it, it looks awesome, people go there and they play volleyball, the kids go out and play in the park,” she said.
“People come from the park to the restaurant and have dinner, so it’s sad to miss some part of the park.”
Front Street was closed for traffic, with crews facing fires.
Skytrain service between Columbia and Scott Road stations was also suspended due to the fire, Translink said.
© 2020 Global News, a division of Chorus Entertainment Inc.
About The Author
More Stories
Top Myths and Misconceptions About Turtles: Debunked
3 Top-Rated Laptop Power Banks in 2024
Essential Care for Hermann’s Tortoise: A Guide to Thriving Pets