Latest news with #vacantbuilding
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Crews battle fire at vacant building in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood
A fire tore through a vacant building on East Hastings Street in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood Sunday morning, prompting a major firefighting response and a public smoke advisory. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) says crews responded just before 10 a.m. at a vacant building located between Glen Drive and Vernon Drive, which was slated for demolition. "Upon arrival there was heavy smoke showing,… the fire was coming through the windows and starting to make its way through the roof," said Acting Asst. Chief Wesley Abrams. "It was very well involved when crews showed up." The three-storey building, located next to the Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant, was boarded up and structurally compromised, which made firefighting efforts particularly challenging, Abrams said. Crews spent about four hours putting out the blaze. "The older structure with the heavier timbers, once the fire gets underway, it is very hard to extinguish," he added. Abrams said firefighters escalated the response to a second alarm, bringing in more than 30 firefighters, four ladder trucks, four engines and rescue teams. "There's already been a partial collapse on the ... alley side of the building, and that is a concern for us," Abrams said in an interview. The extent of the fire meant crews were unable to attack the flames from the inside and instead worked to contain the fire from outside the building, he said. No injuries have been reported, says Abrams, but the heavy smoke prompted the evacuation of a nearby building. By late Sunday, conditions had improved enough to allow residents to return home. "Anyone with chronic breathing problems would find them exacerbated by this type of smoke and flames," he said. The City of Vancouver issued a public advisory warning of "heavy smoke in Strathcona," urging people to avoid the area near Hastings and Vernon Drive. The structure was previously used as single-room occupancy (SRO) but sat empty for several years, according to Saul Schwebs, the city's chief building official. He said the city had ordered it vacated over structural concerns. Schwebs confirmed the building is owned by developer Westbank Corp., which has an active rezoning application for the site. He said the owner will bear the cost of demolition. Part of the building's rear has already collapsed, and demolition crews will also be tasked with confirming no one was inside when the fire broke out. "Given the nature of vacant buildings in the city right now, we can't assume that they're vacant," said Schwebs. "We do need to keep that in mind when we're doing this work." By 6:30 p.m., fire officials say the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble and the site was taped off. As part of the demolition process, crews conducted an inspection to ensure no one had been inside at the time of the fire. VFRS confirmed the structure was completely empty. Gilles Cyrenne, who lives on the same block, said he feared his own building was affected when he saw pictures of the fire. "I was really scared," said Cyrenne. "I've got a studio, I've got artwork, I've got my computer … and a huge library." He said the building had been frequented by squatters after it was first vacated a few years ago, but in recent months it had been well secured and appeared to be empty. There is no word yet on the cause of the fire, but it is under investigation.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Crews battle fire at vacant SRO building in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood
A fire tore through a vacant building on East Hastings Street in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood Sunday morning, prompting a major firefighting response and a public smoke advisory. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) says crews responded to the fire just before 10 a.m. at a vacant single-room occupancy (SRO) building located between Glen Drive and Vernon Drive, which was slated for demolition. "Upon arrival there was heavy smoke showing…the fire was coming through the windows and starting to make its way through the roof," said Acting Asst. Chief Wesley Abrams. "It was very well involved when crews showed up." The three-storey building, located next to the Pink Pearl Chinese Restaurant, was boarded up and structurally compromised, which made firefighting efforts particularly challenging, Abrams said. Crews spent about four hours putting out the blaze. "The older structure with the heavier timbers, once the fire gets underway, it is very hard to extinguish," he added. Abrams said firefighters escalated the response to a second alarm, bringing in more than 30 firefighters, four ladder trucks, four engines, and rescue teams. "There's already been a partial collapse on the ... alley side of the building, and that is a concern for us," Abrams said in an interview. The extent of the fire meant crews were unable to attack the flames from the inside and instead worked to contain the fire from outside the building, he said. No injuries have been reported, says Abrams but the heavy smoke prompted the evacuation of a nearby building. By late Sunday, conditions had improved enough to allow residents to return home. "Anyone with chronic breathing problems would find them exacerbated by this type of smoke and flames," he added. The City of Vancouver issued a public advisory warning of "heavy smoke in Strathcona," urging people to avoid the area near Hastings and Vernon Drive. The structure was previously used as an SRO and had been vacant for several years, according to Saul Schwebs, the city's chief building official. He said the city had ordered it vacated over structural concerns. Schwebs confirmed the building is owned by developer Westbank Corp., which has an active rezoning application for the site. He said the owner will bear the cost of demolition. Part of the building's rear has already collapsed, and demolition crews will also be tasked with confirming no one was inside when the fire broke out. "Given the nature of vacant buildings in the city right now, we can't assume that they're vacant," said Schwebs. "We do need to keep that in mind when we're doing this work." Jill Cyrenne, who lives on the same block, said he feared his own building was affected when he saw pictures of the fire. "I was really scared," said Cyrenne. "I've got a studio, I've got artwork, I've got my computer … and a huge library." He said the building had been frequented by squatters after it was first vacated a few years ago, but in recent months it had been well secured and appeared to be empty. Fire crews could not provide any information about the cause of the fire, saying it was under investigation.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Firefighters battle flames, heavy smoke at 4-story apartment building in West Philly
The Brief Firefighters worked hours Saturday morning to extinguish a four-alarm blaze at a vacant West Philadelphia apartment building. Crews on scene reported that as hot spots were put down, other flare-ups continued to break out, prompting fire officials to call 4-alarms for additional backup. WEST PHILADELPHIA - A four-alarm fire at an abandoned four-story West Philadelphia apartment building put firefighters to the test as hot spots were doused, new ones leapt from the building. What we know Fire crews got the call for a fire burning in a four-story apartment building on the 200 block of South 48th Street early Saturday morning, just after 5 a.m. Once on site, firefighters quickly escalated the alarm from 2nd to fourth, as smoke and flames just poured from the very large, vacant building. As two hours passed, as crews were tamping down hot spots, new flare-ups occurred, complicating the efforts in bringing it under control. They were able to eventually bring it under control, though crews were expected to remain at the scene to continue to douse hot spots. The building has been vacant for some time, according to neighbors. No injuries were reported. What we don't know A cause of the fire is under investigation.
