Much of downtown Prince George east of Victoria Street is shut down as crews are still attending to the building that exploded on the corner of 4th Avenue and Dominion Street this morning (Tuesday).
Fourth and Fifth Avenue, from Quebec Street to George Street, have been closed by first responders, cutting off access to numerous other downtown businesses.
Power and gas to these locations have also been cut.
Many nearby restaurants, storefronts, and offices outside of the closed-off areas have also closed their doors for the day as residents are avoiding the area.
“We are looking at disruptions that range from logistical issues to operational setbacks,” Quynlan Young, the CEO of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, told My PG Now. “Many of our businesses are facing the difficult decision of whether to close their doors due to safety concerns or to reduce foot traffic.”
She said while monetary loss from this will have a “huge impact,” it is not the most important thing to focus on.
“These aren’t just entities, these are places where people have invested their time, effort, and dreams, the impact is larger than just monetary,” she said.
Young called on residents in Prince George to be extra supportive of impacted businesses in the coming days. “Every little bit of support makes a significant difference in this situation.”
In a release from Downtown Prince George, Eoin Foley, the President and owner of several downtown businesses said, “We are grateful for the quick response from fire and police and the support coming from the City of Prince George and our community. Earlier today much of the downtown had been cordoned off to ensure that the response to this fire was unhampered. It appears that the fire itself has been dealt with and now our businesses are left to deal with the aftermath.”
“This is heart-wrenching to see how instantly this incident impacted our downtown. Many people, businesses, shops, restaurants, and service providers started their day very differently than they expected”, Colleen Van Mook, the Executive Director of Downtown Prince George said. “4th Avenue, often described as Specialty Avenue, has been hit the hardest and it pains me to think they were all in the midst of hosting a fabulous block party this coming Saturday. Now they are faced with repairing windows and cleaning up their shops and restaurants. We hope the community will be there when they open their doors again.”
Both the Chamber and Downtown PG thanked first responders for their efforts throughout the day, and said their hearts are with the three people who were taken to the hospital as a result of the explosion.
According to Northern Health, one person is in critical condition.