Burnaby fire that destroyed pub ‘suspicious’
Investigators were at the scene of a suspicious fire Saturday, trying to determine what caused the “huge” three-alarm blaze that destroyed a Burnaby pub hours before.
Emergency crews received the call around 2:30 a.m. Saturday about the fire at the Marine Pub, at 5820 Marine Drive in Burnaby.
“The fire was through the roof upon our arrival,” said Burnaby assistant fire chief Rick Weir, who estimated that at the fire’s peak, flames were shooting between 60 and 80 feet into the air.
“It was huge. It was fully involved. There’s absolutely nothing left, other than the three exterior walls.”
The fire, which appears to have started outside the back of the building, is considered “suspicious,” Weir said.
The assistant fire chief declined to answer about why the incident was considered suspicious, but said Saturday: “All I can say is it’s suspicious. RCMP and the Burnaby Fire Department are doing an investigation as we speak.”
The property’s owner was cooperating with investigators, Weir said, and had shared evidence from security cameras on the premises.
“They had security cameras set up and they had notification that there was somebody on the premises prior to the fire,” Weir said.
The pub, which had served the community for almost two decades, was a “total loss,” Weir said.
No injuries were sustained by either firefighters or the public.