A fire ripped through a storage shed used by Waterbridge Equipment Inc. on the Southside last week, completely destroying the structure and all of its contents.
Mark Neave, manager of Waterbridge Equipment Inc.'s Francois Lake Ferry service said to Lakes District News that ferry employees first noticed the blaze at approximately 8:15 p.m. on March 5, 2012.
He said they immediately called 911 for help.
Equipment including a number of air compressors, spare parts for the ferry and miscellaneous items such as tools and paint were stored in the building, commonly called the dome.
The building, which is located near the ferry's South terminal completely burned down.
"There is no environmental damage as a result," Neave said, adding that because the building was close to the lake, environmental damage was an initial concern. He said the Ministry of Environment was contacted to investigate.
Neave praised the speed and efficiency of the 911 service. "The Southside Volunteer Fire Service arrived on the scene very quickly, the Burns Lake RCMP and the BC Ambulance Service also came over as well as BC Hydro, who shut the power to the building off."
Neave said the fire was extinguished by the fire department, but not before the building was completely consumed.
He said cost estimates are still being calculated, but he added that he thinks costs will be substantial as all of the ferry's equipment was stored in the building.
Neave also said he couldn't speculate as to how the fire had started.
Staff Sergeant Grant MacDonald from the Burns Lake RCMP detachment said, "The Southside Fire Department was actively fighting the fire upon the arrival of the Burns Lake RCMP. When police arrived, the building was fully engulfed."
He said, "Police investigation determined that there was no injuries and that the building was totally destroyed by the fire."
Burns Lake RCMP determined that the fire was not suspicious in nature.
During the course of the fire, the ferry service was not disrupted.