Kits blaze ‘accidental’, says Vancouver fire captain
Posted July 9, 2018 11:01 am.
Last Updated July 9, 2018 11:13 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – We now know a fire that destroyed multiple apartments and businesses in Kitsilano in Vancouver last week was accidental.
Fire Captain Jonathan Gormick says while an exact cause hasn’t been determined, it looks like a discarded cigarette or some other smoking-related material may be to blame for the blaze that burned the Topanga Cafe, Royal Feet, and the suites on top on 4th Avenue.
“It appears to have started near the rear of the building and that’s one of the reasons that they’re considering discarded smoking material as one of the potential causes.”
John Prowse and his wife Bronwen lived in one of those suites. They lost everything on the day they were supposed to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary.
“So at 5 o’clock in the morning…the alarm went off, we were out on the street, and our place was burning down,” he recalls.
a GoFundMe page started to help out Prowse and Bronwen has raised nearly $30,000 in just a few days. Prowse says it’s staggering.
“Definitely making me re-examine the level of assistance that I’ve given to people that I perhaps could have helped more.”
Thursday–the morning the fire broke out–was the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary. Online fundraising is also happening in support of Prowse and Smith’s neighbours.
