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An overnight fire has closed another set of businesses in downtown Prince George.
Fire crews were called to the 1200 block of 4th Avenue on Monday just before 11 p.m. PT, the city says.
An exterior electrical room and stairwell were fully engulfed by flames, with damage estimated at $150,000.
Crews from three halls put out the fire before it spread inside. Several businesses had to close due to smoke and water damage, including Zoe’s Java House, Walk-Rite Shoes, Hometown Prints and Tops & Bottoms.
The block of buildings is one of the few areas in downtown Prince George to consistently offer independent retail locations, and became known as Specialty Avenue.
Zoe’s Java House is one of several businesses that had to be closed due to smoke and water damage following a fire in downtown Prince George on May 18, 2026. (CBC/Andrew Kurjata)
The block is kitty corner to the former Achillion restaurant, which was destroyed in an explosion in 2023, and a short walk away from where CrossRoads Brewing was destroyed by arson in September 2025.
While an official cause is still under investigation, downtown business owners have complained for several months about fires being lit in back alleys and along their buildings.
John Zukowski, a business owner whose store on 4th Avenue was not impacted, said this week’s fire is just another frustration for those trying to make a go of it downtown.
“This is an ongoing issue that is not being addressed,” he said. “It’s time that elected officials start representing the people of the city of Prince George as opposed to having meetings and getting nothing.”
Stepped up patrols from RCMP
Zukowski has been a member of several groups aimed at taking action, including the Prince George Business Owners Advocacy Group and committees formed by subsequent mayors bringing together business owners, police, social groups and elected city officials.
He was also present at an October 2025 rally held by business owners calling for action, which was followed by RCMP announcing the reallocation of resources to 24/7 downtown patrols.
In April, a woman was arrested and charged with starting several fires. At the time, RCMP said they would continue targeted patrols as more people are outdoors late into the evening.
Zukowski said despite those efforts, problems have persisted and he noted seeing more unfamiliar faces on city streets in recent weeks.
He acknowledged that as a hub city for the region, Prince George is a place where people seek supports, but he also said more needs to be done to address the root cause of the problem.
“Businesses can’t survive this kind of stuff,” he said.
No evidence of people being bused in en masse: city
In Facebook posts about the fire, several people alluded to recent posts claiming that people living on the streets of downtown Vancouver were being rounded up and bused to Prince George, straining the city.
A popular Facebook post made by a local content creator in recent weeks claimed they’d spoken to several people in shelters or on the street in Prince George who said they’d recently arrived from Vancouver.
John Zukowski is a downtown Prince George business owner. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)
Representatives from Prince George City Hall said they’d not seen any evidence to support the rumour.
In an interview, Eric Depenau, the city’s director of administrative services, said that while people from other communities can and do relocate to Prince George, there was no sign of a co-ordinated campaign.
“It’s not illegal for folks to move from one location to another,” he said. “And folks come to Prince George for a whole variety of reasons, whether that’s our regional hospital, our penitentiary, emergency evacuations, or just the many, many services that Prince George has as a regional hub.
“And so we do see folks that come here for all sorts of reasons, but the claim that there’s a co-ordinated movement of individuals by the busload to this community is not something we’ve seen evidence to support.”