A vacant mental institution in the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster, B.C. was severely damaged by fire on Wednesday afternoon.
The fire started on the second floor of the centre building in the complex, and spread to the first and third floors.
The formerly government-run Woodlands Institution had been vacant since it was closed in 1996 after reports surfaced about decades-long patient abuse by its employees.
No one was injured in the blaze, and New Westminster Deputy Fire Chief Jim Cook said the building had already been stripped of asbestos by demolition crews.
The building had been previously targeted by scavengers, Cook added, who stole door knobs, piping and copper wires.
Last winter, fire crews were called in after squatters in the building started a fire for warmth.
