Older parts of New Westminster's Pier Park will "not be salvageable": mayor

The fire at New Westminster’s Pier Park has been contained but could possibly last a few more days.

Jonathan Cote, mayor of New Westminster, shared an update on the blaze on Monday morning. He said that “the fire is still going at Pier Park” but has been “fully contained to the old pier section.”

“The fire could last a few days and will not be able to put out until they remove the deck,” he said on Twitter.

Fire Update: Visited the site this morning. The fire is still going at Pier Park, but it is now fully contained to the old pier section. The fire could last a few days and will not be able to be put out until they remove the deck. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/krjPKLQggO

— Jonathan Cote (@jonathanxcote) September 14, 2020

In terms of infrastructure, Cote said that “the old pier part of the park will not be salvageable.”

• See also: 
  • Emergency crews battle fire at New Westminster Pier Park
  • Three Metro Vancouver schools suspend class on Monday due to smoke
  • BC Teachers union calls for school cancellation over wildfire smoke, coronavirus

The large red W, which is made of shipping containers, will also be taken down. The mayor thanked the New Westminster Fire Department as well as crews in neighbouring municipalities for their help in containing the blaze.

The old pier part of the park will not be salvageable and the big “W” will need to come down. Thank you to all of the hard working fire fighters at NWFD and other departments that worked hard all night containing the fire. 2/3

— Jonathan Cote (@jonathanxcote) September 14, 2020

As a result of the ongoing blaze at Pier Park, combined with smoke from wildfires in the United States, three schools in New Westminster — QayQayt Elementary, Queen Elizabeth Elementary, and Queensborough Middle School — announced that they would be suspending classes.

Daily Hive has reached out to New Westminster Fire & Rescue Services for further comment.