More than 70 people displaced after Mount Pleasant apartment fire
Posted July 28, 2023 4:25 pm.
Last Updated July 28, 2023 4:27 pm.
Fire crews in Vancouver say more than 70 people have now been displaced following a massive apartment fire that broke out Thursday night.
The number of those impacted is up from the more than 40 residents that were previously believed to have been forced from their homes.
Read more: More than 40 people displaced after Mount Pleasant apartment fire
Those displaced are being assisted by members of the Emergency Support Program and the Red Cross, who are helping residents find shelter and support.
In an update from the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS), it explains crews were called to a three-storey building in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood just before 8:30 p.m.
“Upon arrival firefighters encountered heavy smoke conditions and immediately began rescuing occupants at the rear of the building from third floor balconies,” the statement reads.
“Crews made an interior attack to the third floor but were pushed back from intense heat and deteriorating conditions on the floor, then continued to fight the fire from the exterior.”
The VFRS notes that 70 firefighters also responded to the blaze, one of whom was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
At least three other firefighters were also treated for heat exhaustion, the VFRS notes.
On Friday morning, Assistant Chief Jarret Gray said the building has an estimated 60 units.
“The Fire Investigation Team is actively working to determining the cause of the fire and the Fire Prevention Division is reviewing the history of previous incidents and fire inspections that occurred at the building,” the release reads.
Fire crews say additional information will be released next week.
With files from James Paracy, Charlie Carey, Martin MacMahon, and Monika Gul
