A downtown Victoria parking pay station was destroyed by fire last week, according to both the City of Victoria and VicPD.
The incident happened in the 600-block of Herald Street in the early morning hours of September 5th. Photos provided to Victoria Buzz show flames bursting from the top of the machine while it burned at the base.
In a statement, the City of Victoria confirmed firefighters extinguished the blaze and the damaged pay station has since been removed.
“It is the first time a pay station has been lit on fire in this manner. Historically we have had a couple vandalized to the point of replacement so it’s not common,” said Colleen Mycroft, Manager of Intergovernmental and Media Relations.
The City noted it is in the process of removing older pay stations and installing new ones throughout the city.
VicPD spokesperson Gemma Stroobant said police were called about the incident on September 5th.
“The caller indicated that the fire department had already extinguished the fire and that the damaged station had been removed prior to police arrival. A member attended the scene, documented the incident, and canvassed the area for CCTV footage,” Stroobant said.
No injuries were reported. Police are encouraging anyone with information or who witnesses suspicious activity to contact VicPD.
A social media post from a nearby business suggested the machine had “short circuited and burst into flames at 2 a.m.,” nearly catching the building on fire.
