Published
Sat, Jan 6, 2018, 21:11
- No one was hurt, and the venue has organized a GoFundMe to help with rebuilding costs.
Vancouver's VAL Villa has closed after a fire earlier this week.
It occurred late Thursday morning during a trespass on the venue. The fire, which the club speculates started in the portable toilets outside, caused significant damage to the building inside and out. Investigators stated that the fire was most likely arson and that the VAL crew were not at fault.
Future events at VAL Villa will be postponed or moved over the next few weeks, as the venue works towards rebuilding the space (they currently estimate they will be operating in two months). They've started a GoFundMe drive to help raise money for the effort. There's a full run-down on what the money will go towards, including 24-hour security and wages for the venue's 20-plus staff while the VAL Villa remains closed.
"We do not know what the motive for this senseless act may have been, but it is not our first adversity and we hope to recover," the club said in a statement.
VAL Villa, in Railtown, was the latest incarnation of Vancouver Art And Leisure's art and music venue. The group has been targeted in the past, including a devastating break-in and robbery in 2016.