Early morning fire at Coquitlam strip mall under investigation: RCMP

Mounties in Coquitlam, B.C., say an early morning fire is under investigation at a strip mall on North Road at Lougheed Highway. 

Const. John Graham with Coquitlam RCMP says the city's fire department was called to the scene at around 6:30 a.m. PT Sunday after reports of a blaze in the building.

Graham says there were no injuries and the cause of the fire is now under investigation by both police and fire officials, but he had no information about a possible explosion that damaged the complex. 

Images from the scene show the building's front facade with awnings and signage had fallen to the ground, exposing twisted metal piping and wooden framing. 

MJ Kim, owner of Hansem Travel, one of the businesses in the complex, says his office was closed at the time, and none of his employees were on-site. He added that he heard it was a restaurant employee, preparing for the day, who reported hearing a loud bang.

"One employee of one of the restaurants on the corner came early in the morning, and he was preparing for the day then he heard the loud bang sound, and he came out and saw the fire...and he called 911," Kim said.

Kim says he went to the site soon after the fire but was unable to access the building. He has since contacted his insurance company and is making arrangements to continue operations remotely.

"Travel agency like ours, we can work from home, so I am trying to arrange as much as possible," Kim said.

Realtor Emily Oh, whose office was also impacted, said she learned about the fire through a call from her landlord while on her way to a morning meeting.

"I was heading for a meeting at 8:30 a.m., and my landlord called me and said the fire broke, and I thought she was joking," Oh said.

Oh arrived at the site about two hours later and said she was shocked by the extent of the damage to her business. 

"The damage was very severe, like the north side of the whole plaza came down right … and I said, 'What's going to happen to my documents and computer?'"

The realtor said she was informed by a firefighter that sprinklers in her office had gone off, likely causing additional water damage.

"I had a lot of emotional attachment there and all my team members, we are just like brothers and sisters. So it feels like we're losing a home," she said.

The strip mall houses several businesses, including an optometry clinic, restaurants, a karaoke bar, and a cafe.

"We all talked about what's going to happen in the future and some of those business owner has a second location, they're okay but you know, most of them only had this location," said Oh. 

Despite the destruction and uncertainty, Oh says she remains optimistic.

"We're going to be okay," she said.

Const. Graham says it's unclear whether the fire was caused by an explosion, or whether materials inside one of the businesses may have ignited.