East Vancouver fire damages three houses, displaces 10 people
Posted January 25, 2023 6:29 am.
Last Updated January 25, 2023 12:10 pm.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) is investigating after a fire in East Vancouver Wednesday morning damaged three houses.
Fire Chief Karen Fry says the blaze broke out about 4:30 a.m. in one home on Keefer Street, in between Hawkes and Heatley streets in the Strathcona neighbourhood.
— Karen Fry (@Karen_Fry) January 25, 2023
Fry says the home has been vacant for some time, undergoing renovations. More than 44 firefighters across 10 apparatus were brought out to fight the flames, including a ladder truck. Fry says when teams got on the scene, the house was “heavily under fire.”
“The flames were going through the roof and encompassing the whole building, quickly spreading to the residences on either side,” she said.
Ten people have now been displaced from their homes, including two families, and one tenant. No injuries have been reported.
“They worked really hard to contain it to those homes. We know that in the Strathcona neighborhood, there are a lot of older homes that are really tightly, tightly spaced and that’s always a worry when we have a fire started in this neighborhood especially,” she explained.
Fry says this fire goes to show how dangerous it is when fires start on the outside of buildings.
“I’m not sure about the place that started the fire, but the neighboring two homes … were exposed to fire on the outside, and [it shows] how quickly it spreads to the roof and structures of the building. It’s reaffirmed how dangerous fires on the outside can be.
“Our investigators are going to be working through the morning trying to determine what started,” Fry told CityNews.
Early morning fire near Keefer and Heatley in East Vancouver. Spoke with a shocked mother who escaped with her husband, 3 children and dog. Says they felt the heat as the flames quickly spread in her home. 10 people displaced from 3 houses. @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/IZrNkhB5tD
— Mike Lloyd (@llikemoyd) January 25, 2023
Resident Theodora Lamb tells CityNews she, her partner, and her children managed to get out of their house safely Wednesday morning after another neighbour called 911 after hearing a noise at the back of the home just before the fire broke out.
“Everyone is ok, our neighbour below us is ok, everyone is ok,” Lamb said. “The only thing that matters is that our family is ok.”
Pretty large explosion (woke much of the neighbourhood) followed by a nasty fire in #Strathcona. Look like it could be the little green house on 700 block Keefer that was under construction. Thanks @VanFireRescue for coming so quickly. pic.twitter.com/ZfpPHAVWT3
— Katie Lewis (@kelewis) January 25, 2023
Lamb says when she and her family were running out of their house, the fire had made contact with their house and they could feel the heat coming through the walls.
“It’s deeply clarifying, that moment. You know exactly what counts, exactly what counts, and we are so grateful to the Vancouver fire department and all of the first responders. They are so incredible,” she said.
“You go on autopilot. My partner was amazing. Strong. Told us to move and we moved — you move fast
“We carried our dog and our three children and our jackets and one phone. That’s it,” Lamb explained.
A third alarm fire has damaged three houses in East Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood. (Google Maps)
Smoke from the fire is now spreading across other parts of Vancouver.
CityNews has reached out to VFRS for more details.
More to come
-With files from Mike Lloyd
