Fire broke out at Craigflower Manor in View Royal near Victoria at about 5:00 PM on Friday, January 23.  The historic site has a direct link to the local Fire Department about one kilometer away, and a crew responded immediately and had the fire out within minutes. 

Craigflower Manor is the third oldest house from the colonial period in British Columbia.  It is owned by the province, and managed by The Land Conservancy, which also operates historic Craigflower School on the other side of the Gorge.

According to Ian Fawcett, Deputy Executive Director of TLC, “the fire began in a heater installed below the staircase.  It very quickly burned the staircase and some of the adjoining walls.  But that is the extent of the specific fire damage.  There was also some heat damage to the walls, woodwork and wallpaper in the main hallway and in the upstairs hallway.  Due to the care and diligence of the firefighters, the only things that were water damaged were the carpets in the main hallway. Everything else is smoke damaged to some extent, but that is all.”

Preliminary estimates of the cost of the damage were between $100,000 and $200,000.  The event attracted considerable media attention, and heritage minister Bill Bennett toured the site the following Monday.  Craigflower Manor would normally open to the public in May, but it is not clear whether that will still be possible.  In the meantime, TLC is putting together a restoration plan.