Nanaimo Train Station Burnt Down!

[Nick]

Anybody hear about or see the this?


I haven't gone to see it yet... but check it out:

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimesc...b7a7c2&k=53448

[fitz]

I drove by it yesterday to check it out - I had thought it was 'worse' --but in reality with any damage like this, there's a chance they'll take the whole thing down.

How sad that it stood there for 87 years, and some arsonist has to go and take out a piece of our history.

[Geoff]

It'll be costly to fix. 2 million does sound steep. A big fire, destroying history. Too bad an arsonist did that. I hope they catch the culprit(s). I do think before the fire maintaining it like Parksville and Qualicum Beach's train stations would have been a big step in the right direction.

[kickidee]

I know the fellow who used to open and unlock the station at the time of the fire. he invited my girls and I to come down and get a look see and some kids used to visit before halloween. I had a tour through it, the old station master suite upstairs the attic, the whole bit. I could see no option but to fix it back up and restore. This station is a major root of our city!! There was so much unused room that surely may be put to better use now.

[Geoff]

That sounds like an interesting tour you went on. I am all for fixing it back up and getting it restored. I hope it is back and better than it was before.

[kickidee]

Ya the tour was neat and the newphie that showed us was very friendly. however even though I stood at the area where the "ghost picture" was taken, and even though I'd love to believe in ghosts, and even though the old furnace made a sound like rattling bones every few moments I never saw any ghosts!! Never in my whole life. I should love to have a personal ghost story happen for me in this life so I too have a tale to tell. People tell me I am just insensitive. So in rebuttle I will say that that picture was a cloud of stirred up dust that got caught in the camera flash and you all are good at making pictures in the clouds. Anyone have a picture or story about a real ghost?

[stanley strazza]

Yuppers..........another building goes up in flames.......look back in our local history about the old tire shop fire that was adjacsent to A&B stero store downtown when they (city fathers) wanted to move the highway, another fire took out the old building supply store and at auction house that used to be where Lordco auto parts is now.......Mysterious my butt.....City hall firebugs strike again..........The train station was a cool spot until it was being smothered by new businesses crowding allmost up against it......Boo to the city once more............Stan (the man) Strazza

[fitz]

A couple photos showing the damage. These were taken a couple days ago when we had that cool mix of storm/sun in the sky.

[dilligaf]

Early this year

[FireChef]

Here are a couple of pictures I got the morning of the fire. I can monitor city calls on my pager and I heard this one come in, so I grabbed my camera and went down.

So there are 2 of the fire and 1 that afternoon.