Flames tore through the roof of the abandoned Dickson Bowl building in downtown Galt overnight Wednesday, into Thursday morning, and the fire is being considered suspicious.
There is no initial sign of anyone hurt in the midnight fire on Ainslie Street South, south of Main, near the Grand River Transit bus station.
The building, which is abandoned, sustained structural damage as a result of the fire.
Chief fire prevention officer, John Percy told CambridgeToday the investigation is still ongoing and they have enlisted the help of Waterloo Regional Police Service and the Ontario Fire Marshall to assist in the investigation.
Fire crews were still on the scene late this morning to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Cambridge Fire Platoon Chief, Shane Waters said his teams were only getting inside to take a look at around 3:30 Thursday morning.
"We've got an abandoned building that caught fire, it's suspicious ... no injuries right now, no more people living in the building."
He notes there was evidence those experiencing homelessness had been living in the building.
At the time, Waters could not say for sure if the Ontario Fire Marshal would be called in to help assist in the investigation.
Firefighters were busy putting out hotspots and searching inside.
A midnight fire that burned through the roof at the old Dickson Bowl in downtown Galt is considered suspicious. @CambridgeFD reports no injuries, but people had been living in the building and firefighters still need to fully check inside. @CityNewsKIT and https://t.co/UrH5a04nHy pic.twitter.com/3WIC71eU0D
— Mark Douglas (@DouglasCityNews) March 23, 2023
Ainslie Street South was closed from Warnock Street to Concession Street for most of the morning drive as fire prevention and police remained on scene.
The Dickson Bowl business in Galt for some 50 years, was shut down in 2017, when the property was sold to a developer.
