Emergency crews have come to the rescue of the flora and fauna at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens. Both Central Saanich and Saanich fire responded Thursday evening (June 25) at 7:30 p.m., to a fire at Truffles Catering, located at 1461 Benvenuto Ave., which is attached to the Brentwood Bay zoo’s building. In a social media post shared after 10 p.m., Central Saanich Fire Department said the fire has been knocked down, but crews remain on scene to deal with any hotspots. “At this time there
has been no impact to the birds and butterflies at Butterfly Gardens,” they said. According to the BC Hydro outage map, around 9:30 p.m. five customers in the 1400 block of Benvenuto Ave. – which includes the Victoria Butterfly Gardens site – were without power, with crews on-site. Shortly before 10 p.m., the notice had been removed. The popular tourist attraction houses a tropical jungle filled with thousands of free-flying butterflies, exotic plants and other wildlife, including Mango the flamingo, who celebrated his 50th birthday
last year. Thursday’s incident took place only steps away from the scene of a recent fire at Garden Fork Restaurant. A blaze destroyed the building at 6719 West Saanich Rd., June 6. Police and fire investigators are working together to determine the fire’s origin and cause, and have recently appealed for the public to help with more information as they try to establish a timeline of events leading up to the fire. Peninsula News Review has reached out to Central Saanich Fire Department about the
Truffles Catering fire and will update this story when there is more information. READ MORE: Police seek information on Central Saanich restaurant fire.
Central Saanich Fire Department, Saanich fire, Victoria Butterfly Gardens, Truffles Catering, Brentwood Bay zoo, Benvenuto Ave, Mango the flamingo, BC Hydro outage, Garden Fork Restaurant fire, investigators timeline