11 people displaced after four homes damaged in massive East Vancouver fire
Posted October 7, 2024 9:10 pm.
Last Updated October 8, 2024 8:36 am.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services crews were called to a massive blaze in East Vancouver Monday night.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!Chief Karen Fry took to social media, saying there were “multiple houses” on fire in the Strathcona neighbourhood street of East Pender at Glen Drive.
Speaking to 1130 NewsRadio, Fry says the fire broke out just before 8 p.m. When the first engines arrived, they were met with “heavy smoke and flames showing.”
“They quickly upgraded it to a working fire and started trying their best to save the neighbouring homes. These homes are very close together on the street,” she added.
Fry explains four homes were damaged in the fire.
“There’s a lot of residents. These are multi-resident homes. … there’s going to be quite a bit of displacement, and the tenants here and occupants of these buildings are going to be looking for somewhere else to stay,” she said. “We will do what we can with our provincial emergency services.”
Glen Drive was blocked to traffic between Venables Street and East Hastings Street while firefighters were on scene.
All tenants were able to evacuate the homes, Fry says, with no reported injuries.
“Everybody got out safe tonight. In our firefighters, I have no reported injuries. But, the firefighters, they’re still working extremely hard to try and contain this fire. It’s still an active fire. We have 11 apparatus and about [55] firefighters on scene here tonight,” she explained.
Footage from the blaze sent to 1130 NewsRadio showed massive orange flames shooting into the air, with callers saying smoke could be smelled in nearby neighbourhoods.
Speaking to 1130 on Tuesday morning, Fire Information Officer Capt. Matthew Trudeau explains flames were about 100 feet in the air when firefighters arrived. Nearby trees also caught alight during the blaze.
Trudeau says three homes have been heavily damaged and 11 people have been displaced. Trudeau adds 55 firefighters were brought in to fight the flames.
It was a challenging fire for crews — a deck collapsed at the back of one of the homes, breaking a gas meter, which then also caught alight. Trudeau says the meter was emitting gas for about an hour while firefighters were battling the blaze.
Fry explains that if the fire had broken out just hours later when people were sleeping, the outcome could “have been a totally different story.”
“Our firefighters are doing amazing work to try and put this fire out, and we are grateful that everybody escaped safely here tonight. But the situation can be very different if your smoke alarm isn’t working,” she explained.
“What better time than fire prevention week to have everybody check their smoke alarm, to test it twice a year, and to replace it every 10 years,” Fry urged.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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–With files from Monika Gul and Sonia Aslam.
