Large fire at old mill on Port Alberni, B.C., waterfront

A large blaze at an old sawmill on the Port Alberni, B.C., waterfront has resulted in significant damage to a building, fire officials say.

Firefighters say they received a 911 call reporting a fire at the Somass Mill site just after 8:35 a.m. PT on Sunday in the Vancouver Island city.

More than 20 firefighters responded from the Port Alberni Fire Department and nearby volunteer fire departments.

Deputy fire chief Travis Cross said that no injuries were reported in the large blaze, which was visible across the city.

"We don't know the cause. It's undetermined at this point," he told CBC News. "We'll be investigating it, treating it as suspicious."

Cross said that it was too unsafe for firefighters to enter the large building that was ablaze, known as the "patina building."

He said that they managed to protect nearby buildings and construction vehicles from any damage.

"The building that was on fire, it's around 50 per cent collapsed," he said on Sunday afternoon. "The rest of the building will need to come down."

The old Somass Mill site is currently the subject of a large redevelopment project that will see the area transformed into a recreational zone with nearby mixed-use development.

Cross says that crews were on-site working on deconstructing the mill buildings, but were not directly working on the large building that was engulfed by flames.

The city has previously said that it is actively working with the mill to raise funds from the material salvaged from the deconstruction process.

A City of Port Alberni spokesperson did not directly respond to questions about what comes next for the site after Sunday's fire, deferring questions to the fire department instead.