The cause of a massive fire last fall at a former cannabis greenhouse in East Ladner still remains under investigation.
That’s according to the Delta fire department, which notes the cause of the blaze remains undetermined and that the file has also been handed over to the Delta police.
Firefighters were dispatched to the blaze at Canopy Growth’s former growing facility in the 10200-block of Hornby Drive at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 1.
Once firefighters arrived on scene, the call was changed from a first alarm to a second alarm, so seven apparatus were dispatched involving 30 firefighters.
A member of the fire department at the time noted the structure contained cardboard material and a diesel generator and that no chemicals or fertilizers were inside the burned-out structure.
There was also no reported injuries to firefighters and no one was inside the building.
Thick clouds of heavy black smoke were reported across the Lower Mainland.
The huge greenhouse in East Ladner, which for a time was to become one of the world’s largest cannabis grow operations, was recently sold by Canopy.
The Ontario-based company confirmed in a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the company sold its vacant production facilities in Delta, as well as Aldergrove, for a combined CND$40.6 million, which was a major loss.
Canopy Growth spent millions to retrofit the greenhouses and later hundreds of millions to acquire the remaining interest that it didn’t own in the joint venture called BC Tweed.
BC Tweed was aimed at making the 1.7-million-square-foot facility on Hornby Drive, as well as the Aldergrove facility, the biggest player in the Canadian recreational marijuana market.
In March 2020, the company abruptly closed its B.C. facilities, resulting in the elimination of approximately 500 jobs.
