The well-known Wow Westminster art installation on the New Westminster waterfront has been removed following Sunday night’s devastating fire that destroyed the old boardwalk.
The 43-metre installation made up of four shipping containers in the shape of a “W” has been disassembled and removed from the site after it was determined it couldn’t safely be moved in one piece, a city spokesperson said Thursday.
Crews continue to remove the top decking of the wharf to extinguish hotspots.
The city said that an air quality advisory remains in effect, adding that short-term exposure to creosote, a wood preservative that covers the pier pilings, could lead to respiratory irritation.
Westminster Pier Park is a 600-metre boardwalk along a stretch of reclaimed waterfront between the Fraser River and Front Street. It was built in 2009 at a cost of about $24 million.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the city said Wednesday.