A large fire gutted an auto body shop owned by Isherwood Body & Fender at 2943 Boys Rd. in an industrial area south of Duncan in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Firefighters from the Duncan Fire Department were called to the structure at approximately 6 p.m. on Jan. 20 and extinguished a fire, but were called back at about 5:30 a.m. the next morning and found the building fully engulfed in flames.
Duncan fire chief Landis Carmichael said the investigation is still in its early stages, but both fires are being investigated as two separate incidents at this time.
He said that at the peak of the fire, 25 firefighters from the Duncan, North Cowichan and Cowichan Bay fire departments were on scene, as well as officials from the RCMP, BC Emergency Health Services, BC Hydro, Emcon, Cowichan Tribes' emergency management, and the CVRD.
It took approximately six hours to extinguish the flames.
"No injuries to firefighters or the public were reported," Carmichael said. "The majority of the building and its contents were lost."
As well as the severe damage to the building, a number of vehicles parked in front of the structure were also destroyed.
Carmichael said the fire was large and visible from the Trans-Canada highway before firefighters arrived, which prompted multiple 9-1-1 calls.
"Many factors contribute to a fire's size, however, an auto-body business can be filled with many chemicals, all of which may have contributed to this fire's behaviour," he said.
"The building also did not have a fire-sprinkler system."
Carmichael said there was significant damage to the building and business, but could not provide any dollar figures at this time.
"Thank you to all the firefighters who brought this incident under control quickly and safely, and another big thank you to all of our responding partner agencies for their invaluable assistance," he said.
Isherwood Body & Fender spokesman Ryan Isherwood thanked the fire departments on the company's Facebook page for their quick response soon after the fire.
A post on the company's website on Jan. 24 said Isherwood is still in operation.
"After a fire destroyed half of our shop, the team at Isherwood Body & Fender has come together stronger than ever," the company said.
"Our technicians have turned this challenge into a testament of unity and determination. They’re not just sharing tools, they’re stepping up for each other in ways that define what it means to come together as a team. Watching them support one another has been nothing short of inspiring."
The company said that to maximize its efforts with half its regular capacity, Isherwood started working in shifts to ensure the company is doing everything it can to get vehicles back on the road as quickly as possible.
"A huge thank you to our amazing community for your continued support and understanding, it means the world to us," Isherwood said.