A shelter set up against the shuttered former Canadian Tire store on Douglas Street burst into flames Saturday morning, blowing out a glass door and sending smoke into the building.
Victoria Fire Department Battalion Chief Doug Carey said no one was hurt. The person who was living in the shelter was gone by the time fire crews arrived about 11:50 a.m.
“He was observed by a passing motorcyclist running away from the scene,” Carey said.
The shelter, which Carey described as “a complete loss,” was made from various material like pallets and tarps, and was so damaged that no investigation could be conducted, he said.
“Somebody reported hearing an explosion, so that indicates possibly a propane cylinder or an aerosol can of some sort.”
Carey said the fire was quickly extinguished and equipment was brought in to ventilate the building’s interior.
