Image: Chilliwack Fire Dept. / The Chilliwack Fire Department was dispatched Saturday afternoon to a small fire at the former Travelodge motel at 45466 Yale Road in Chilliwack; the facility is operated by Ruth and Naomi's and includes supportive housing and a men's residential addiction treatment centre. The fire reportedly started in the bushes and came close to the structure itself, but was knocked down quickly by Chilliwack Fire Department personnel.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Small fire Saturday at former Travelodge

Chilliwack firefighters respond to small fire Saturday at former Travelodge

Jun 24, 2023 | 6:32 PM

CHILLIWACK — The Chilliwack Fire Department responded to a small exterior fire on the grounds of the former Travelodge motel at 45466 Yale Road in Chilliwack Saturday afternoon.

According to scanner traffic, firefighters were dispatched sometime after 4 p.m. Saturday for the report of a fire on the premises of the former Travelodge, which is now the Interchange, a supportive housing complex for people struggling with poverty and homelessness. It is operated by Ruth and Naomi’s and includes 56 rooms for supportive housing, along with a 22-bed men’s residential addiction treatment service.

Scanner traffic indicates the fire broke out on the exterior of the building and was suppressed shortly thereafter. The fire reportedly started in the bushes but came very close to the structure itself.

Additional fire engine units and personnel responded in a routine mode once the fire was knocked down.

As of July 2021, the province, through BC Housing, purchased the 82-room Travelodge Hotel at 45466 Yale Road in Chilliwack, as part of a long-term plan to provide safe, supportive housing for those at risk or experiencing homelessness in Chilliwack. Since April 2020, BC Housing had been leasing hotel rooms as a temporary shelter and isolation centre. Ruth and Naomi’s Mission has been managing the leased rooms and the supportive housing.

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The Travelodge purchase was part of a long-term plan to address homelessness in the City of Chilliwack.

The Travelodge purchase was part of the solution for The Portal shelter, which was scheduled to close in July 2021. The proposed permanent shelter and supportive housing at Rowat and Trethewey Avenue is scheduled to be completed in mid-2023. Since it was purchased, Ruth and Naomi’s OASIS Residential Addictions Treatment Services Program have moved into the building. The isolation centre will remain at the Travelodge; BC Housing will continue to work with Fraser Health to address the need for safe isolation in the community.

by Mike Vanden Bosch

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Chilliwack firefighters respond to small fire Saturday at former Travelodge

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