Nanaimo’s historic Franklyn Street Gymnasium was damaged by fire under suspicious circumstances on Thursday.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue responded just after midnight to find the fire had spread to the roof and smoke was coming from the sides of the building.
Firefighters from all four Nanaimo-area departments worked for three hours to bring the blaze under control.
Fire Chief Karen Fry said there is heavy water damage that will affect gym activities for some time.
She said the crews kept the fire from spreading through the entire building, which is in the heart of Nanaimo’s downtown. Due to the suspicious nature of the fire, the investigation is now in the hands of the Nanaimo RCMP.
Police will build on what the fire department has already done, said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien.
“They can’t determine the cause of it, and based on where they feel the fire did start and spread, it’s not deemed to be natural,” O’Brien said. “So it’s turned over to us for further investigation.”
The building, once part of a school that is now gone, has been used as a gymnasium and auditorium since 1922 and is part of a cluster of historic buildings. It houses a youth program known as the Neutral Zone.
“It’s been used frequently for kids to drop in and local sports teams to practise,” O’Brien said. “I’ve actually taken my baseball teams in there to have some dryland training.”
Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay said he was sorry to hear about the damage.
“It’s a well-used, much-needed building,” he said, adding that some alternate space will have to be found.
