Fire officials are investigating after an underground electrical vault caught fire in downtown Victoria Thursday night, sending flames and smoke six to nine metres into the air.
Victoria Fire Department responded to reports of a tree fire and Store streets at around 11:30 p.m. but soon identified the source of the flames as an explosion in a vault on the north side of the sidewalk.
"It is very fortunate that no one was walking by at that time," officials stated in a press release. "It would have certainly delivered a serious injury to any pedestrians in the immediate area."
Both the city's public works department and BC Hydro were summoned to the scene to assess the damage.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and no one was hurt in the incident.
dpalmer@vicnews.com
