More than 40 people displaced after Mount Pleasant apartment fire
Posted July 27, 2023 9:19 pm.
Last Updated July 28, 2023 8:16 am.
Vancouver fire crews made multiple rescues while fighting a massive apartment fire in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood Thursday night.
BREAKING: Large fire here in the 400 Block of East 10th Avenue at Brunswick in Vancouver. Multiple @VanFireRescue crews on scene attacking it. More to come on @CityNewsVAN. pic.twitter.com/nRCwM7jqUd
— Chad Harris (@ChadHarrisTV) July 28, 2023
The apartment building on East 10th Avenue near Guelph Street went up in flames before 9 p.m.
Speaking to CityNews Friday morning, VFRS said fire crews arrived at the fire and saw a person running out with a fire extinguisher. Crews quickly moved to get people out of the building as fast as possible, Assistant Chief Jarret Gray said.
3rd alarm structure fire in the 400 BLK of E10th.
Apartment building
Multiple rescues by firefighters
This is an active incident.@VanFireRescue @IAFF18— Karen Fry (@Karen_Fry) July 28, 2023
Huge fire at a residential building on our street. So scary and sad. I hope all the residents got out safe. So much toxic smoke. Our entire streets power is shut off. Thank you firefighters. #yvr #Vancouver pic.twitter.com/jdI7NfdCYl
— Reality Queen (@time2getloud) July 28, 2023
“They had to commence an immediate imminent rescue. They had multiple rescues to attend to. As they attended to those people then the crews began to do an interior attack. The battalion chief on scene upgraded this to a third alarm fire which is approximately 50 firefighters,” he explained.
Gray says one firefighter was hurt, while three others received treatment for exhaustion.
An overloaded room made fighting the fire more difficult, he explained.
“There was a probable hoarding case on the third floor that we couldn’t get into the immediate suits that were on fire,” he said. “That kind of prolonged the fire attack. Within that fire attack though, the crews got water on. They began attacking and realized that it got too hot inside. We had to pull back, and then we started doing as we call ‘surround and drown.'”
Gray estimates the building has about 60 units.
Speaking to CityNews, one resident of the building, Trisha Ruda, says most of the third floor is “demolished.”
“The fire … went up to the roof and the whole building started down,” she said.
Ruda explains occupants aren’t allowed to head back into their apartments, and her cats are still in her suit.
“I’m on the first floor, and I can’t even get through the fence. My balcony doors were open, my cats were in there, and now we’re f*cked. We have no place to live, and no place to go, and I don’t know what we’re gonna do,” she said.
Ruda suggests the building is not well maintained, and had a number of health and safety issues. “The building should have been condemned”
“I”m on disability, and I don’t want to be homeless again and I’m not living on the streets,” Ruda said through tears.
Fire Chief Fry says a reception centre has been set up for the occupants of the apartment building at a nearby community centre.
Fry says more than 40 people have been displaced and are being helped by Emergency Support Services.
— phil paûll (@philly_whatski) July 28, 2023
As of 6:30 a.m., crews are still on scene dousing the building with water as they try to knock down any remaining hot spots.
Data from BC Hydro showed that 2199 customers in the surrounding area were without power as of 9:40 p.m.
2,199 BC Hydro customers were without power Thursday night in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood as an apartment fire burned nearby. (Courtesy: BC Hydro)
