A fire at a nearby hockey store shut down Surrey Central Skytrain station for six hours on Saturday afternoon, forcing thousands using public transit to detour or hop on shuttle buses.
The fire started in a garbage pile behind The Hockey Shop and spread inside the store and to the roof where crews had a tough time getting the upper hand.
"There was some concern because it's a concrete cinderblock building and the cinderblock started to crack," assistant fire chief Brian Woznikoski told CTV News.
He said there was extensive damage to the hockey store due to smoke, especially at the rear of the building.
The fire also shut down a nearby recreation centre. Games and practices that were part of the hockey program were cancelled.
One minor hockey official said he's more concerned for The Hockey Shop than for the teams' lost ice time.
"They've been very good to us the last number of years," said Harbs Bains, president of the Surrey Minor Hockey Association.
The Hockey Shop has provided skate sharpening, uniforms and other equipment to hundreds of Surrey hockey players over the years. Some items were still waiting to be picked up at the store.
"We've lost a few thousand pucks, we lost some hockey socks," said Bains. "It is what it is."
The owners of the store will have to deal with the substantial cleanup after the fire. But the hockey community is banding together to give back to one of their own.
"[The owner] is also devastated. I can totally understand that. But we're here to support him like he's been supporting us for years," said Bains.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Breanna Karstens-Smith.
