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Delta Fire knocks down “suspicious” blaze at Brandrith Park

Delta Police investigating Monday night fire
Brandrith Park fire
Delta firefighters respond to a fire Monday night at Brandrith Park in Tsawwassen.

Damage is said to be extensive following a Monday night fire in one of the bathrooms near the tennis courts at Brandrith Park in Tsawwassen.

Deputy Delta Fire Chief Tim Ipsen said when firefighters arrived on scene, just before 9 p.m., there was thick, grey smoke coming out of the roof.

“Initially dispatched three trucks, but once engine two got on scene, the call was downgraded to two engines on scene,” said Ipsen. “The fire had been burning for a while, but crews knocked it down pretty quickly and they were able to prevent it from spreading into the concession and the other washroom.”

Ipsen said Delta Fire responded to another call a few weeks ago at the other washroom in the building.

“The other washroom was also partially torched from the previous fire. There is extensive damage to the second washroom. It is obviously suspicious and a possible accelerant was used,” said Ipsen.

Ipsen said Delta Police are investigating.

City of Delta Parks and Recreation Department director Carmen Gonzalez told the Optimist the washrooms would likely be closed to the public for upwards of three weeks.

She said portable washrooms will placed in the park.

“This is a fairly resilient building so hopefully it will only take us a few weeks to remediate the damage and make the repairs,” she said. “We don’t have an estimate on costs as of yet.”

She said fires such as this are disheartening to see.

“It is challenging for us for sure. We hate to see damage and vandalism at public amenities that are important to our community, so we are looking at how we can work together to deter this vandalism moving forward and ensure that we are protecting our assets,” she added.