A scene of flooded devastation greeted Heidi Sherwood during a brief visit to her Sattva Spa in the block of Government Street that’s been cordoned off since Monday’s devastating fire.
“What I found was severe damage — water damage,” she said Wednesday, as smoke continued to waft through the air.
Although Sherwood has insurance, she does not expect it to fully cover her losses. When determining the level of insurance to get, “You don’t think about your whole entire business being completely destroyed.”
It’s too soon to say when the business will reopen, she said.
Sattva, which has a dozen employees, is one of several businesses on the 1400 block of Government Street between Pandora Avenue and Johnson Street that have been closed since a major fire destroyed the four-storey Plaza Hotel building.
The building housing Sattva and the former hotel shared a wall, Sherwood said.
Security fences allow only safety officials and contractors inside the blocked-off area. Posted signs warn: “Do not enter. Collapse zone.”
On Tuesday, Sherwood was permitted a quick visit to her business, escorted by a fire department official.
She has been busy contacting clients and is hoping they will visit her other spa, the 13-year-old Sapphire Day Spa at 714 View St., during the temporary closure of Sattva, which opened in 2017.
The affected block of Government Street also includes Mountain Equipment Cop-op, which is headquartered in Vancouver. An official at NKPR, its Toronto public relations firm, said in an email that the company had no comment.
Also in the cordoned-off block are Royal Victoria Suites and Camouflage military surplus store. David’s Tea at Johnson and Government was closed Wednesday as well.
Some other nearby Victoria businesses are closed, while others remain open.
Complex Clothing at 612 Johnson St. and its connected operation, shoe store Cold Feet, carried on with business even though the street was closed on Monday. The phone, internet and debit and credit cards were all unavailable that day.
But customers still came in, paying with cash or by email money transfers, owner Jason Tuttle said.
“We had a great day considering the circumstance,” he said. “I think maybe people were downtown to see the spectacle.”
Fans have cleared out any smoky scent and electronic services have been restored. Merchandise has not been damaged, Tuttle said. “We are back to normal.”
The doors of Work B.C., a job placement and training agency, were shut at 1483 Douglas St. for a day and a half because of the smoke, said Frank Bourree, principal at Chemistry Consulting, which runs the office.
“Our staff’s eyes were watering and the clients were struggling and we just had to shut down.”
The tourism consultant said it’s unlikely tourism would be affected by the fire since visitors usually do not walk farther north than Johnson Street.
The fire scene has attracted a large number of people watching and taking photos of fire crews and excavators at work.
Arun Dodd, who runs Varsha restaurant at 1600 Government St., said they are normally closed Mondays. Business was a little slower than usual on Tuesday morning, but picked up later in the day, he said.
