Blaze hits Starlight building

Blaze hits Starlight building
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published, March 5, 2003

An electrical problem is believed to have been the source of an early Saturday morning fire that seriously damaged the two-storey commercial building that houses the Starlight dining room at 7673 Sixth Street.
"We were very lucky," said Elaine Will, daughter of the man who originally built the multi-tenant structure that is today boarded up and awaiting word on when it can reopen. "The fire hit a brick wall and it stopped."
The smell of smoke was first noted just after 6:30 a.m., when Craig Will, the building's caretaker and Elaine's brother, arrived at work early to do the year-end accounting and watch Tiger Woods play golf on television.
"He smelled something and went into the next room. That's when he saw the ceiling fill up with smoke, and then he opened the door to find out what was going on," Will said. "That was the worst thing he could have done. The flames came back on him."
The caretaker was able to escape the building with nothing more serious than smoke inhalation. He was taken to hospital for observation and released within four hours.
The upstairs rear of the building is severely damaged, and a bill collector and answering service are both expected to be closed for some period of time. Tenants on the lower front of the building, such as a barber shop, beauty salon and We Care office, were largely spared and are expected to pass the electrical inspection and reopen before the end of the week.
The newly refurbished Chaddaway Cafe, which only opened on Jan. 1 with a Vancouver Canucks sport theme, suffered extensive smoke and water damage and will have to undergo further inspections before it reopens.
The fire department described the blaze as a two-alarm fire, and estimated the total damage in excess of $350,000. An investigation into the exact cause of the blaze is still ongoing.
Will said her family will reopen the building, but the Starlight banquet hall, which is the last vestige of the building's original purpose, will probably remain closed forever.
The family is also hoping city hall will eventually rezone that portion of Sixth Street to allow for new development in the aging business district. "As it stands now, the land is worth more than the building," Will said.
FAMILY HOME GUTTED
A single-family home, located on a secluded Central Burnaby street, is boarded up and closed after a fire ripped through the building at around 12:45 a.m. Saturday, March 1.
Assistant fire chief and fire prevention officer Fred Scarfe said damage to the home in the 5500 block of Donovan Avenue is estimated at about $280,000, and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Luckily, nobody was home at the time of the fire, he said.