Burnaby house used by squatters catches fire
Posted November 17, 2018 5:25 pm.
Last Updated November 17, 2018 5:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – A home in Burnaby known to frequent squatters went up in flames Saturday morning.
According to the fire department, the flames broke out before 9 a.m, but fire crews initially weren’t able to get inside the home, according to Assistant Fire Chief Barry Mawhinney. No one was hurt and the cause is still being determined.
“RCMP reported to us that they’d had previous dealings at the house and thought it may not be safe to enter,” he says.
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But once they were inside, Mawhinney says nearly two dozen firefighters put out the flames and secured the site.
It turns out the home was likely occupied by squatters, who weren’t home at the time of the fire.
“There wasn’t any there when we were there, That is always a concern for us, when we show up at a building that’s been vacant for some time, whether there’s people inside or not,” he says. “”If it’s not safe for us to go in there, we’re not going to go in there and risk ourselves unless we know for sure somebody is in there.”
