11 people left homeless after fire tears through East Vancouver homes
Multiple families have lost their homes after a fire tore through three properties in an East Vancouver neighbourhood Monday night.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services said crews were called to the 1000 block of East Pender Street around 7:50 p.m., and that 55 firefighters were needed to put out the blaze and keep it from spreading any further.
"We were already encountering very heavy flames, very heavy smoke, rapid fire progression that already occurred throughout the structures, so it really about limiting what was already damaged,” said Capt. Matthew Trudeau.
Naomi Stinton, her husband and two young children are among those who have been displaced.
Stinton said they had just finished eating dinner when she heard what she thought were fireworks coming from the back part of their home – but when she headed back there to take a look, she quickly discovered that wasn’t the case.
“The roof of the deck was on fire,” she told CTV News.
"It was so fast – it was less than 10 minutes from just the deck being on fire to our house ablaze.”
The four of them were able to make it out safely. All of their belongings, however, were destroyed.
“My husband didn’t even have a shirt, no shoes. I had no shoes, I was wearing my son’s crocks. My son was barefoot, my daughter was barefoot – and that’s all we have, that’s it.”
VFRS said two people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene but there were no major injuries.
What exactly caused the fire remains unknown.
“We’re still working with investigators to determine cause and origin for this fire right now, that’s what were really trying to focus on,” said Trudeau.
A gas line was also damaged during the fire, and several houses in the area remained without gas as of Tuesday afternoon.
Stinton said she isn’t sure where her family will stay for the time being, and that they did not have tenants insurance.
“Probably like a lot of tenants in Vancouver, it’s something we couldn’t afford. Every month we’re in the red,” she said.
An online fundraiser, titled “Family lost their house in fire” and organized by Cynthia Farrell, has been created to help the family get back on their feet.
VFRS is encouraging everyone to make sure they have working smoke alarms, but said it’s not yet known if that was a factor in this incident.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies at 65
John Horgan, who served as British Columbia's premier from 2017 to 2022 died on Monday. He was 65.
Labour minister pushes for 'deal at the table' after Canada Post union issues strike notice
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says the federal government currently has no plans to intervene in negotiations after the union representing Canada Post workers issued a 72-hour strike notice.
What consumers need to know if Canada Post workers strike ahead of a busy holiday season
Canada's postal workers could walk off the job or the company could lock them out as soon as 12:01 a.m. ET Friday if the union and the company don't reach an agreement. Here are tips for shoppers and businesses.
BREAKING Feds move to end work stoppages at ports, order binding arbitration
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says he is intervening to end the work stoppages at ports in both British Columbia and Montreal.
Ottawa high school principal apologizes for song played during Remembrance Day assembly
The principal of an Ottawa high school is apologizing to students, parents and guardians after an Arabic-language song was played during the school's Remembrance Day service.
23 arrested after at least 100 shots fired in exchange of gunfire outside Toronto recording studio: police
Police say 23 people are in custody after at least 100 shots were fired in an exchange of gunfire outside a West Queen West recording studio on Monday night.
Campaign staffer resigns after N.S. PCs accused of vote-buying with Tim's gift cards
The Nova Scotia Liberal Party has filed a complaint with Elections Nova Scotia, accusing a Progressive Conservative candidate of trying to buy votes by allegedly handing out gift cards outside of a Tim Hortons.
The Taliban will attend a UN climate conference for the first time
The Taliban will attend a UN climate conference for the first time since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the country's national environment agency said Sunday.
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
A new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a federal judge who said the law is 'unconstitutional on its face.'