Costco in Langford evacuated after reports of possible structure fire

The Costco in Langford was evacuated early after there were initial reports of a possible structure fire.

Fires alarms at the big box store were activated by staff after a loud bang and smoke occurred in the building, just after 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Several fire detachments were deployed to the area, including Langford Fire, View Royal Fire Rescue and Colwood Fire Department.

According to people living in the area, a loud roaring noise could be heard from the building prior to the alarms being sounded.

This incident has been identified as a Freon leak which was contained about 45 minutes later.

The store was closed for a couple hours as emergency crews were confident the location was safe for customers to enter.