On July 9 around 11:30 a.m., the New Westminster Fire Rescue was dispatched to their 4th fire in 10 days at the abandoned Woodlands Hospital site that once housed a school for troubled children.
The building was built in 1878 and had been vacant since 1996, in 2004 it was declared a heritage site. The previous 3 fires were relatively minor fires, but this one would be the last fire in this historic structure.
As Battalion 1 arrived on scene it was clear this was going to be a long fire fight and one wing was well involved in fire. It was immediately called a defensive fire and no firefighters were to enter the building.
Several hand lines as well as a deck gun from Engine 3 were put into service minutes into the fire. It was quickly escalated to a 4th alarm which brought all apparatus from New Westminster & off duty personnel as well as an engine, tower & chief from neighboring Burnaby Fire Dept.
At its peak 40-plus firefighters were battling the blaze and three surrounding apt buildings were evacuated as a precaution due to flying embers and smoke conditions. The fire was deemed suspicious and the investigation is ongoing. After the fire was extinguished, the building was knocked down as it was unsafe to allow it to stand. No injuries were reported.
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