Crews battle blaze at old Dickson Bowl in downtown Galt (update)

Flames tore through the roof of the abandoned Dickson Bowl building in downtown Galt overnight Wednesday, into Thursday morning, and the fire is being considered suspicious.

The fire broke out just before midnight on Ainslie Street South, south of Main, near the Grand River Transit bus station.

Cambridge Fire Platoon Chief, Shane Waters said his teams were only getting inside to take a look at around 3:30 Thursday morning.

“We've got an abandoned building that caught fire, it's suspicious … no injuries right now, no more people living in the building.”

He said there was evidence those experiencing homelessness had been living in the building.

The investigation is ongoing by the Cambridge Fire Department and Waterloo Regional Police. The Ontario Fire Marshal's office was also contacted. 

The preliminary damage estimate is $100,000. 

The Dickson Bowl was in business in Galt for some 50 years, but was shut down in 2017 when the property was sold to a developer.