Last week's fire at the Ross Street Temple appears to be accidental, according to investigators.

The temple remains closed because of extensive water and smoke damage while Vancouver Fire officials work with police on the investigation.

"The investigators are looking through the evidence that they've gathered... They're just waiting to talk to a couple of people who they think might have seen something, but any work at the scene has wrapped up," said Vancouver Fire and Rescue spokesman Jonathan Gormick.

At around 2:30 a.m. PT on Friday, Vancouver fire crews responded to reports of flames inside the temple.

After arriving on scene, firefighters were able to locate the flames inside the ceiling on the second floor.

Battalion chief Les Achtymichuk said poor ventilation in the building made it difficult for firefighters to get to the fire.

"We moved fire crews in for the initial fire attack and we had to pull them out because of extreme heat."

"Fire crews [were] beaten up on this one pretty bad," he said.

Eventually firefighters were able to gain better access to the blaze by opening skylights on the roof of the temple.

Members of the Ross Street Sikh temple wait outside to learn the extent of the damage caused by the fire. (Farrah Merali/CBC)

Sohan Singh Deo, president of the temple, said the temple is the biggest and oldest Sikh temple in North America, with about 11,000 members.

He said it's unfortunate the building was recently renovated.

"We spent millions of dollars on this building this year, so we are very concerned," he said. "It's very, very bad for us. It's a great loss."

According to firefighters, no one was inside the temple when the flames broke out.

Gormick says the temple is not safe for occupancy at the moment and will remain closed for some time.