Three businesses were damaged after a fire in the kitchen of the Real Taste of India restaurant on Fort Street Monday morning.
The 700-block of Fort between Blanshard and Douglas streets was closed for two hours as Victoria firefighters tackled the blaze. Smoke and water damage also affected two neighbouring businesses: Oscar and Libby’s gift store and the Pho Vy Vietnamese restaurant.
Firefighters responded about 9 a.m. and tackled the flames from the roof and the inside. The blaze was contained by 9:30 a.m.
“The initial attack crews went in, encountered heavy smoke. They had good ventilation going but it was difficult because of the rear exit being closed,” said acting battalion chief Peter Stephenson. “We got around back, opened that up, the crew went in and knocked the fire down. So it was a good save.”
Fire inspectors are still trying to determine what sparked the fire.
“There’s some pretty [good] fire damage in there but we’ll leave that estimate until we get in and properly inspect that,” Stephenson said.
No one was inside either of the three businesses at the time.
Oscar and Libby’s owner Teri Hustins said she got a call from her alarm company about a fire just before 9 a.m. “and I just ran.”
“It’s heartbreaking. Right now I’m kind of shaking, feeling like I’m going to be ill, so I’m just taking it in right now,” said Hustins, who has owned the business for nine years.
She said the interruption to business will be particularly hard, given that the kickoff to the Christmas season is just 10 days away.
“I’m shell-shocked right now.”
