Early-morning blaze destroys heritage building in Coombs - January 3, 2021
2021
Fire destroyed the Rastafarian cannabis store in downtown Coombs early Sunday morning. The historic landmark was built in 1921 as the Coombs Community Hall and served as a community centre until it was sold in the mid-1990s to become a retail store. Led by Coombs Hilliers Fire Chief Aaron Poirier half a dozen fire crews from as far away as Bowser and Lantzville battled the blaze through night and into the morning and were able to protect surrounding buildings including those on the fairgrounds from being damaged. The Rastafarian store is located across the laneway from the north end of the fairgrounds.
Coombs History extends a huge thank you to Aaron Poirier of the Coombs-Hilliers Volunteer Fire Department and the fire departments and crews that attended:
Coombs Hilliers Volunteer FD
Errington Volunteer FD
Parksville Volunteer FD
Qualicum FD
Nanoose Volunteer FD
Dashwood Volunteer FD
Bowhorn Bay Volunteer FD
Lantzville Volunteer FD