The iconic building that houses city hall in Grand Forks nearly burned down this morning and RCMP have already begun an investigation.

Alarms went off around 5:30 a.m. today and the first floor of the building was already engulfed in flames when crews arrived.

The fire department was able to extinguish the blaze, but there was significant damage done to the entire first floor.

Arson investigators have been called to the scene and the fire does appear to be suspicious at this point. One person of interest has already been taken into custody and members of the Kootenay Boundary Regional Detachment General Investigation section will be speaking to him about the incident.

The two-story building will be assessed by a structural engineer to determine if  it is safe to enter.

No injuries were reported in the blaze.

This is the second such fire to break out in a heritage building within the past two years. The Grand Forks hotel burnt down in March 2012.

Files from Castanet – photo credit: City of Grand Forks