An overnight fire that damaged the Jack Goddard Arena in Grand Forks is considered suspicious.
Grand Forks Fire Rescue chief Rich Piché said firefighters were called shortly before midnight Tuesday. He arrived to find flame and heavy smoke coming from the Central Avenue side and northwest corner of the building.
In all, 19 Grand Forks firefighters responded along with five firefighters from Christina Lake. Piché said they were able to knock the fire down quickly, and then spent the rest of the night airing out the buliding and checking to see how far the fire had extended.
“The entire building was full of smoke, so we used every fan we have in the fleet and a couple more that we grabbed from the hall to get some heavy ventilation,” he said. Crews remained on the scene until 5:30 or 6 this morning.
Piché called the damage is “pretty significant.” While he cautioned that he is not an engineer, he doesn’t think there has been any structural damage.
“There’s probably about 16 feet in an area that runs underneath the seats that’s been been charred, but the structural beams are sound and only lightly charred,” he said. “I think they should, with a little bit of work, be able to be up and running in a short period of time.”
The cause of the fire is undetermined but it is considered suspicious. Piché said there were no obvious signs of an electrical problem. He believes the fire started inside, behind a door that is normally locked, possibly on a plastic tarp.
Heat detectors in the building went off, which resulted in an alarm to the fire department and arena maintenance staff.
RCMP Cpl. Robert Belanger said investigators are gathering evidence and would appreciate help from the public.
“Anybody that was in the area at the time that noticed anything suspicious around the arena or Dick Bartlett Park is asked to come forward to the Grand Forks RCMP,” he said, adding they would also like to hear from anyone with surveillance or dashcam footage that might provide useful information.
The arena, which opened in 1965, is home to the Border Bruins of the the KIJHL. It was named after former mayor Jack Goddard in 2013.
In a text message, mayor Everett Baker said he has spoken to the chief administrator of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and rural directors Linda Kay Wiese and Grace McGregor, who are participants in the arena service.
“I understand that an assessment is being done as we speak,” he said. “We all agree that we can’t lose our hockey season.”
Baker said he was awaiting more info before they can start to come up with a plan.
“On behalf of our entire team, we want to thank the Grand Forks and Christina Lake fire crews for their incredible response,” RDKB facilities and recreation manager Paul Keys said in a Facebook post.
“They basically saved our hockey season. Our priority now is assessing the damage and doing everything we can to save the ice.”
The recreation office has been temporarily closed and staff are expected to be moved to the RDKB office in Grand Forks.
The arena’s first scheduled event of the season was the Glow Skate on Aug. 26. The RDKB is assessing whether it can still go ahead.
(CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated the arena opened in 1987.)
