Downtown Eastside residents worry there may be arsonist in neighbourhood
Posted July 26, 2022 9:41 am.
Last Updated July 26, 2022 9:44 am.
After a number of high-profile and damaging fires on the Downtown Eastside, community groups will get a chance to ask questions and share their fears to the Vancouver Fire Department at a public meeting Tuesday at Oppenheimer Park.
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The Coalition of Peers Dismantling the Drug War is hosting the meeting. BeeLee Lee with the organization says the fire at a Street Church and another near Oppenheimer Park have people unnerved.
“People are fearful … We’re just wanting the fire department to give us some answers, if they’re willing, to let us know how those fires were caused,” she said, adding some people in the community are worried about the possibility of an arsonist at work.
“Is there somebody that may be lighting fires? As a community, we generally say, ‘Who keeps us safe? We keep us safe.’ Our coalition is hoping [to put] some of the concerns of arson to rest.”
She also hopes the fire department will be able to give people information about ways they can stay safe.
“Some tips on how to keep them safe, if they do indeed have scooters that they’re charging, mobility devices that they’re charging, laptops that they’re charging, candles, cigarettes, and safety tips if they’re living in older SROs.”
