Vancouver coffee shop wants help from B.C. Hydro after electrical explosion
Owner says insurance won't cover employees' lost wages
The owner of a coffee shop located in Vancouver's historic Marine Building wants B.C. Hydro to step in to compensate him and his employees after an explosion at an electrical vault caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
The fire and explosion happened on the sidewalk outside of the JJ Bean cafe at 353 Burrard St., which is now closed indefinitely.
"It's our number-one location in terms of on a per-hour basis," said CEO John Neate.
Neate says between two and three employees would have been working when the fire erupted around 6 p.m. on Friday.
Much of the cafe's electrical equipment was damaged by the blast, including all of its espresso and coffee equipment, says Neate.
According to him, multiple panes of glass were shattered by the explosion, including above the outdoor patio and front door, and another glass wall separating JJ Bean from a neighbouring business.
The fridges may also have to be replaced.
Kyle Donaldson with B.C. Hydro says it's too early to say what caused the fire.
"Investigating the root cause is a top priority for us, but it's going to take some time. We've preserved the equipment that was destroyed and we're going to send it to a third party for a thorough analysis as part of our investigation."
Donaldson says electrical vaults are located underground and store electrical equipment, and the one on Burrard St. is one of a handful in the downtown area.
"This was a very rare occurrence and we placed a high priority on ensuring that our electrical equipment continues to be safe and reliable."
The electrical vault on Burrard St. passed a safety inspection in the last year.
"Our equipment is designed to be in place safely for many decades and is inspected regularly, so age is not what could have led to something like this," he said.
Neate says he had no idea when he applied for a patio permit with the city that an electrical vault was located beneath the site.
"If it had been the summer we would have had at that time of day potentially people sitting on their patio."
Neate says the restoration of his coffee shop will be even more complicated because the Marine Building, located at Burrard Street and West Cordova Street, is a heritage site.
"There's all really nice plaster, molded plaster going all around the windows, which will have to be looked after by a heritage specialist in some way."
Employees losing wages
Neate has business interruption insurance, but he says that won't cover his employees' lost wages.
"In my mind, I should be getting a call from B.C. Hydro, someone, senior B.C. Hydro and say, 'John, this was awful situation. Once in a lifetime. We've got you covered. Whatever your costs are, whatever your staff are, we got you covered.'"
Donaldson says B.C. Hydro is committed to working through their claims process with affected customers as quickly as possible.
There are 23 other JJ Bean locations that Neate says they are attempting to place staff at in the meantime, but he says some employees may be laid off.
He hopes to re-open the Marine Building location for to-go service in the next couple of weeks, but expects it will be several months before it opens for full service.
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