A fire in a vacant home shut down one of Vancouver's arterial roads on Saturday afternoon while crews worked to put out the flames.
Cambie Street was closed to traffic after a fire broke out in an abandoned house around 1:30 p.m.
"It was a heavy fire. It burned through the roof," said assistant chief Kevin Wilson. "The building is a write-off; it's collapsed in on itself."
Crews were ordered out because it was structurally unsound due to its deteriorating floors and roofs.
"A search was done—nobody was inside," Wilson said. "We've got lots of little spot fires burning in the walls. But we're not putting men inside the building."
The fight became defensive and crews will be on scene into the night. It may take several more hours to until the flames are completely doused.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but a fire investigator will likely be on scene Sunday.
The building is one of several in the area near 30th Avenue that are slated for demolition.
