Fire forces evacuation of East Vancouver apartment building
Posted September 11, 2017 7:08 pm.
Last Updated September 12, 2017 6:31 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Dozens of people have been forced out of an apartment building in East Vancouver because of a fire.
Crews were called to the building at Woodland Drive and East Hastings about 6 p.m. They quickly upgraded the fire to a third alarm because of the number of units and people believed to be inside at the time.
It appears that one entire side of the building –the front– is destroyed, after the fire started in the first floor hallway. A unit on the ground level on the other side of the building is also badly burned.
Deputy Chief Brian Godlonton says no one was hurt, but one person did find themselves in a dangerous situation.
“The fire was burning on both sides [of the building], and there was a common walkway through the front side of the building. As we arrived on scene, she walked right out between the fires, so thankfully there are no injuries at this point in time for any of the residents.”
He says the fire did pose some challenges for crews on scene.
“This structure is an old structure, it’s un-sprinkled and comes with a lot of risks. We don’t know exactly the fuel load and so forth,” he explains. “It doesn’t look too good, but we really won’t know until we have an opportunity to get in there and see how much smoke and water damage that’s taken place in the structure.”
According to Godlonton, there are many buildings without sprinkler systems, but new regulations require sprinklers to be installed.
“The City of Vancouver has one of the most aggressive sprinkler by-laws, it’s something we should be really proud of. But for the older structures that have not been retrofitted, or no major renovations haven’t been sprinkler’d to this point.”
The official cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
