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Old blacksmith building burns to the ground in View Royal

Nearby Victoria Scottish Community Centre unscathed in the blaze
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The loss of an old blacksmith’s shop that burned to the ground Saturday (Feb. 17) night won’t hinder operations at the Victoria Highland Games Association’s site on Craigflower Road. (View Royal Eye/Facebook)

A pile of charred boards was all that remained of a former blacksmith shop after a fire in View Royal on Saturday (Feb. 17), but the blaze will have little impact on the Victoria Highland Games Association’s operations.

“It’s been empty for couple of years,” the association’s executive director Jim Maxwell said of the burnt building. “We were actually thinking of repurposing it for storage.”

The fire briefly disrupted a fashion show going on in the Victoria Scottish Community Centre also located on the association’s Craigflower Road site. The flames were far enough away that the show could continue, Maxwell said. The building that burned to the ground didn’t hold any heritage designations.

READ ALSO: $4M Scottish centre opens in View Royal

The association, which has hosted one of Canada’s largest Highland Games for 159 years, built the community centre and marked its first year in use on Robbie Burns Day.

“The centre is operating very successfully we’re just finishing all the landscaping on the overall property,” Maxwell said.

View Royal Fire Rescue was on the scene quickly and dealt with the blaze, Maxwell said, adding they now await a report on what caused the fire.

READ ALSO: Highland Games return to Topaz Park

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About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

Longtime journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
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