Second body found during demolition of Winters Hotel in Gastown

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services says a second body has been found during the demolition of the Winters Hotel in Vancouver’s Gastown.

A devastating fire broke out at the hotel at Abbott and Water streets on April 11, rendering the building unsafe.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) has said though crews usually do two searches for occupants in a fire, crews were never able to fully clear the building after this blaze.

In just a few hours, Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services have found two bodies in the burnt out remains of the Winters Hotel in Gastown. These two individuals have not been identified at this point. Demolition is on pause until Monday, and the Coroner is on scene. More @CityNewsVAN https://t.co/2XmisSywo4

— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) April 23, 2022

“The fire was too extensive and situation deemed too dangerous to allow firefighters into areas on floor two (where the fire originated) and above, which means an “all clear” was not determined,” reads a statement from VFRS, released Friday by the City of Vancouver.

It adds firefighters had to use a “defensive attack” on the fire and were only able to do a primary search before continuing to douse the flames from outside.

“Through the process, investigators and the demolition crew have been mindful individuals may be in the building, and have been proceeding with appropriate precaution and care.”

A cause of both deaths has not yet been determined. The BC Coroners Service has been called in.

Related articles: 

• Sprinklers turned off at Winters Hotel days before devastating fire: investigation

• Demolition begins of Winters Hotel in Gastown following delays

• Winters Hotel fire puts many out of business, Gastown BIA looks to support

A preliminary investigation had found the sprinkler system at the hotel had been turned off three days before, after a previous blaze on April 8 set it off.

A Notice of Violation was issued at the time of the first fire, with orders “to have the fire life safety systems to be serviced.”

“This notice requires a fire watch be put in place until the fire life safety system is back in operations. The notice of violation is a standard process when a sprinkler is activated,” VFRS said in a Thursday statement.

However, by April 11, the sprinkler system had not yet been fixed.

“[Supervisory staff conducting the fire watch] attempted to extinguish the fire but were unsuccessful in their efforts. They quickly transitioned to alerting the occupants in the building,” VFRS added Thursday of the Monday fire.

Officials said it appears unattended candles were the cause of the April 11 fire, which is being deemed accidental.

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Dozens of people were forced out of the building when flames broke out last Monday. Five people were taken to the hospital and five residents were rescued.

Demolition of the building began Thursday after some delays.

In addition to the dozens of people displaced, many businesses in the area, including several in the building itself, have been affected.

-With files from Claire Fenton