By James Peters / Chad Klassen

Chase RBC branch damaged by fire

Aug 13, 2018 | 1:19 PM

CHASE, B.C. — The Royal Bank in Chase is boarded up and will be for quite some time after a fire destroyed the facade early Sunday morning. 

“We got the call at 4:10 a.m. for a structure fire. We arrived on scene, flames were already coming out the front windows by the ATM machine,” said Chase fire chief Brian Lauzon. “We attacked it aggressively, got the flames down, had to break the upstairs windows.”

Twelve firefighters helped to ensure the flames didn’t spread throughout the building, which only experienced smoke and water damage inside. 

“Heavy smoke damage upstairs and a little of structural integrity on the bottom floor above the ATM machine,” noted Lauzon. “A lot of heat and smoke damage throughout RBC.”

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The Royal Bank is a mainstay in Chase, which has nearly 2,300 people, and a fire of this magnitude is a major blow the residents who live there. 

“Any infrastructure loss is pretty traumatic in a community like this,” said Chase mayor Rick Berrigan. “There’s a lot of worry at this point in time with the serious and everything. But I can assure the community the Royal Bank is very professional on how they’ve mobilized.”

Employees have set up a tent in front of the bank, which will remain until it re-opens. RBC is suggesting customers go to Kamloops or Salmon Arm for their urgent banking needs. There’s also a temporary ATM coming on Thursday. The truck will keep hours of 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

“There will be a mobile unit pulled within the next few days to help offset anything at this point in time,” noted Berrigan, whose wife works at the bank. “We have some of the staff out front here giving information to their clients, what they can do in the meantime.”

Based on the damage, the Chase Fire Department believes the bank won’t fully re-open for three months. The fire department is working with Chase RCMP to determined exactly what cause the blaze. 

“Still a lot of evidence to go through,” said Lauzon. “We’re waiting for the RCMP. They have a lot of information they’re gathering from video surveillance in the area and inside the structure itself.”