Historic downtown George Street hit by fire in Prince George

Firefighters in Prince George spent the night battling a fire in a downtown building on the 300 block of George Street.

The fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. PT. City Councillor Brian Skakun said it was visible from a few kilometres away.

"You could look and see the flames and the smoke from three to four kilometres away. So it was a major fire."

Firefighters were still putting out the fire at 6 a.m. and smoke could be seen coming from the site.

It appears that at least three businesses were damaged by the fire, said Skakun.

"You're talking about some businesses. And, you know, are these businesses going to be able to rebuild and relocate? So I mean there's nothing but heartache, you know, when there is a disaster like this," he said.

One of the businesses affected was the Copper Pig BBQ House. In a message on Facebook the owner said, "The Copper Pig is alright, but we are going to be closed for today to check out the damges." In a tweet, they indicated plans to reopen later this week.