A massive fire decimated an abandoned single-occupancy residence (SRO) building at the intersection of East Hastings Street and Vernon Drive on Sunday.
Fire crews were called to the building just before 10 a.m., arriving to flames jumping out of the windows. The smoke was so heavy that an air quality advisory was issued for the area in East Vancouver.
“So far, it has been maintained by trying to contain the fire from the outside. That’s too dangerous to go into an unoccupied building, but it does appear to be fully involved,” said Wes Abrams, acting assistant chief with the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, in an interview with 1130 NewsRadio.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!Due to the danger posed by the fire, coupled with the age of the building, firefighters battled the blaze defensively from the outside. They aren’t aware of anybody being in the building, but they weren’t able to go in to check, either.
“We were unable to do anything on the interior side of the building regarding a primary search due to the structural damage that was already underway,” Abrams added.
Officials shut down East Hastings Street from Clarke Drive to around Raymur Avenue to fight the fire from the front.
Meanwhile, the rear of the building collapsed, and pockets of flames trapped under the debris continued to burst out and swell over the course of the day, making the fire very challenging to control.
“We’ve had a partial collapse in the rear of the building, which has caused some heavier smoke conditions,” said Abrams.
“When a building collapses on itself, it leaves a lot of hot spots that we can’t seem to get with our hose streams, so all we can do is just keep the surrounding material as cool as possible,” Abrams explained
“Between 11 a.m. and noon, you could barely see the building through the smoke,” he added.
1130 NewsRadio received multiple calls about the fire.
One caller to the station, named Sidney, said there were at least 4 fire trucks at the scene.
No significant damage is expected to nearby buildings. The iconic Pink Pearl restaurant might have some flooding, and a neighbouring apartment complex may have some smoke damage due to open windows. Its residents were evacuated, some of them running out with their valuables, terrified for their homes.
Due to smoke conditions, Abrams recommends keeping windows and doors closed.
“We have the word out to anybody in the neighbourhood to keep their windows and doors closed, anybody who could be affected by the smoke.”
“The crews have done an excellent job of pushing it into the back of the building, which is where it originated,” he said.
Abrams confirmed that no one got injured.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. But a neighbour who spoke with CityNews Vancouver, who didn’t want to appear on camera for fear of retribution, claimed that he regularly saw candlelight in the windows of the supposedly abandoned building, and was aware of squatters.