Authorities have ordered an emergency demolition at a collapsing building in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that’s already started leaning onto a single-room occupancy hotel next door.
The 400-block of Powell Street has been closed off while police, firefighters and city engineers await the arrival of excavating crews, and it’s unclear how long it will take for the busy traffic artery to reopen.
“It’s a safety hazard. Nobody’s allowed directly around it because anything could happen, so we’re exercising all caution and common sense here,” said Vancouver Fire spokeswoman Carol Messenger.
Engineers were called to the three-storey building, located at 451 Powell across from Oppenheimer Park, Wednesday morning after a neighbour noticed its front gates appeared to be buckling.
“They found a ground-floor interior wall had collapsed, leaving the building completely unsafe,” Messenger said.
The neighbouring two-storey building at 439 Powell, which has a commercial space on the ground floor and several SRO units on the second, has been evacuated.
Residents aren’t expected to be let back in until authorities can survey the structure and confirm it hasn’t been compromised.
Documents reveal the collapsing building is owned by the Philippine Women Centre of BC.
More to come…
