New Westminster restaurant destroyed in fire
Posted January 28, 2026 7:50 am.
Last Updated January 28, 2026 8:06 pm.
Firefighters were on scene overnight and through Wednesday morning, after a fire ripped through a Japanese restaurant in downtown New Westminster Tuesday.
Flames were first spotted coming from Ki Sushi on 8th Street near Columbia Street around 10:30 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!New Westminster Fire and Rescue Acting Assistant Chief Jeff Romanyk says crews arrived to “significant smoke and fire,” which they witnessed reach the building’s roof.
“We set up an aerial and we basically tried to put it out from above. We weren’t able to make entry after that. Just the fire was too unsafe inside,” Romanyk told CityNews.
He says the roof of the restaurant eventually collapsed.
1130 NewsRadio spoke with a woman who works nearby and says she started her late-night shift smelling smoke, but without too many concerns.
“I’ve seen what fire does. So I know how it moves to a degree. And I’m like, ‘I’m not that worried yet, especially ’cause the alarms haven’t gone out.’ And I know alarm systems well. I used to work in construction, so I know how those work. I know how sensitive they can be, so I wasn’t that worried yet,” she explained.
But not long after that, she says the building was evacuated.
She and other occupants were forced to wait outside for hours.
Images from the scene show firefighters blocking local streets and directing hoses at the building throughout the night. An aerial view shows the collapse of the entire roof.
1130 NewsRadio has reached out to the New Westminster Fire Service for more information.
Romanyk says the cause of the fire is under investigation.
