Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / A massive fire broke out in downtown Chilliwack on Wellington Avenue overnight, prompting a second alarm.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Overnight blaze

UPDATE: Chilliwack firefighters battle overnight fire in downtown Chilliwack (VIDEOS)

Jul 16, 2025 | 3:17 AM

UPDATE 7 A.M.: Chilliwack Assistant Fire Chief Wade Meeres says 36 firefighters from six halls responded to this morning’s fire. On arrival, firefighters witnessed heavy black smoke coming from the second floor of a mixed-use building containing residential apartments above commercial space.

Crews quickly established a water supply and launched an interior offensive attack. However, due to rapidly deteriorating fire conditions, crews were forced to withdraw and transition to more of a defensive strategy, Meeres said. Aerial ladder trucks and multiple handlines were deployed to bring the fire under control.

Video: William Snow.

Support agencies, including BC Hydro, FortisBC, and the RCMP, were on scene to assist with operations. Thankfully, there were no reported injuries to the public or firefighters.

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Meeres says the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Chilliwack Fire Department.

Video: William Snow.

“The Chilliwack Fire Department would like to take this opportunity to remind all residents of the importance of having working smoke alarms on every level of the home and inside each sleeping area,” Meeres said.

Original story:

CHILLIWACK — Multiple Chilliwack fire engines spanning several stations were dispatched for a second alarm structure fire in the 45800 block of Wellington Avenue in downtown Chilliwack early Wednesday morning, the second fire in a week in the same block of Wellington.

According to a scanner recording provided to Fraser Valley Today by Chilliwack resident Julie Hiscock, Chilliwack firefighters were initially paged for a report of visible smoke near the intersection of Main and Wellington, at 45885 Wellington, with RCMP already on scene, at 12:29 a.m. The address was later changed to 45873 Wellington Avenue. The blaze was upgraded to a second alarm, resulting in additional manpower.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / Firefighters battled an overnight blaze in the 45800 block of downtown Chilliwack.

Flames raged from both corners of the roof of the impacted building, shooting into the sky above. Thick black smoke billowed from the building and could be seen from several blocks away in the downtown core.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / Another view of the fire.

An aerial ladder truck attacked the fire with two direct sprays, while a second fire engine battled the blaze from the alley just behind the building, and other firefighters took direct aim at the fire with water hoses from the front of the building.

Image: William Snow / A business possibly impacted by the fire.

Scanner traffic indicated the address of the fire was 45873 Wellington Avenue. Chilliwack resident William Snow sent video to Fraser Valley Today showing firefighters standing directly in front of, or near, Beautilandia, a beauty salon. Nearby businesses include a jewelry shop (Jin Sing Jewellers), a tattoo shop, and the Chilliwack RCMP Community Policing Office. It is not immediately known exactly which businesses were damaged and the extent of the fire damage.

RCMP impeded vehicular access at Main/Princess, Wellington/College and other intersections during the fire. A female owner of the jewelry store on Wellington Avenue asked an RCMP constable stationed at Main Street and Princess Avenue if she could approach the area to ascertain whether her business had been impacted, a request the male RCMP officer granted.

Image: William Snow

Personnel from Chilliwack fire halls 1 and 4 were asked to attend at 1:10 a.m., but emergency dispatch said it did not receive an acknowledgement of the page, nor did it receive a response from Hall 5 (Ryder Lake). At approximately 2:28 a.m., a Chilliwack firefighter asked emergency dispatch to page additional firefighters to bring an air support unit, but a male emergency dispatcher countered that they had already tried that previously and nobody from Halls 1 or 4 acknowledged the page. The firefighter still asked that dispatch at least try to issue the page, and the page went out shortly after that.

Image: William Snow / Chilliwack firefighters on scene at an overnight fire.

Approximately 18 customers in the immediate area lost power due to the fire, according to the B.C. Hydro website.

Image: BC Hydro

The fire was still active and raging as of 2:11 a.m.

Video: William Snow.

Chilliwack public works crews were asked to attend at approximately 2:35 a.m. in order to clear street drains.

Hiscock told Fraser Valley Today at 3:14 a.m. that smoke was still emanating from the fire.

Just last week, there was another fire in the same block of Wellington Avenue that displaced a family living above Nuggets Used Books at 45832 Wellington Avenue.