Former Samesun hostel guests unexpectedly forced to seek new lodging post-fire
Posted September 17, 2023 6:53 pm.
Last Updated September 18, 2023 11:47 am.
Following a fire that ravaged a hostel building on Vancouver’s Granville Street early Saturday morning, some ousted guests have been forced to disperse to other hostels downtown.
The fire spread from a car behind the hostel to the two-storey building that houses the Samesun hostel’s common area, luggage space and kitchen. Guests staying in the attached four-storey building, which houses the hostel’s main living quarters, say they were awoken by banging and screaming.
Fernando Salazar, a hostel guest from Southern California, says he woke up around 2 a.m. on the third floor of the main guest quarters.
“This guy was running up and down the hallways, banging on the doors, screaming ‘Fire, fire, everybody up!’ And that’s what woke me up,” he said. “I ran out the door and then I ran across the street and I looked towards the hostel and saw that it was up in flames.”
Out of a place to stay, Salazar says he had to knock on a few doors before he found another available room.
“I just walked down the street a couple blocks, went into a hotel, asked, ‘Is there a room?’ they said ‘Nope.’ Went to a couple other hotels until finally I found one that had vacancy and I spent the night there,” he said.
Around 30 to 40 people from the Samesun hostel and the neighbouring Hotel Belmont were evacuated as a precaution.
Youzi Yu arrived from Calgary Sunday afternoon with plans to stay at the Samesun hostel for the week. She said she was surprised to find part of it had burnt down and it could no longer honour her reservation.
Now, she says she’s struggling to find something else within her budget.
“I didn’t receive any email,” she said. “If I choose to book the hostel, that’s because I have a low (budget) So right now, I don’t know (what to do).”
Related Articles:
-
Crews battle three-alarm fire in Granville Entertainment District
-
Vancouver SRO fire displaces several people
-
Several fires intentionally set around Vancouver Wednesday: VFRS
She says she wants to know how she can get a refund for her cancelled stay at the hostel.
Samesun Hostel management told CityNews they were unable to do an interview, but said over the phone, “Everyone’s still in shock.”
Meanwhile, Salazar says his biggest concern remains the staff who were working at the hostel.
“I know a lot of them who are there, also from out of the country, live here because of work visas, and my particular concern is for them.”
Fire officials could not give an update Sunday, saying they’re still investigating the cause of the fire.
