Woman dies in downtown Vancouver apartment fire

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A woman in her 50s has died after a fire broke out in an apartment building in downtown Vancouver Thursday.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue was called to a building at West Pender and Beatty Streets around 7 p.m.

“Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke conditions in the eight-floor highway. They also found a suite on the eighth floor that was fully involved with fire,” says Assistant Chief Trevor Connelly.

When firefighters entered the suite, they found one woman.

“They did find one female in her approximate early 50s. They removed her from the suite, they carried her down the stairs but unfortunately, she was deceased,” Connelly says.

Connelly says neighbours’ efforts were crucial in containing the fire to a single unit on the building’s top floor.

“Luckily, there were some quick-thinking residents on scene that grabbed one of the building’s fire hoses and were able to get some water on the fire. That greatly slowed down the spread of the fire,” he explains.

The building is newer, with “modern fire separation and fire suppression systems,” according to Connelly who says the damage was limited to the suite where the fire broke out ,and one or two units below.

“Most of the building is inhabitable, most people will be able to remain to the building.”

The cause of the fire and the woman’s cause of death are under investigation.

No other injuries were reported Thursday.