2nd body found during demolition of Vancouver heritage building destroyed by fire

Two bodies have been located during the demolition of a mixed-use building in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood, firefighters say.

The Winters Hotel, the upper floors of which were being used as low-income housing, was deemed unsafe following a fire earlier this month.

Demolition of the building began Thursday, and firefighters confirmed the discovery Friday.

Initially, crews said they had found one body, but in an update Friday evening they confirmed the discovery of a second.

It is unclear whether the unidentified people died in the fire or after it, and Vancouver Fire Rescue Service Chief Karen Fry declined to speculate on the cause of death Friday afternoon.

"Everyone saw the fire," she said. "It was a very large, aggressive fire, and it would definitely be something - if somebody was trapped - that would be very difficult to escape."

The day after the April 11 blaze, officials with BC Housing said no one who had lived in the single-room-occupancy hotel was unaccounted for, but the damage made it unsafe for firefighters to search some areas of the building.

Typically, buildings are searched twice for occupants, firefighters said, but in this case, the risk was so great that firefighters could not access areas on the second floor and above. These were the residential floors of the building.

In the days leading up to its demolition, police were on scene trying to prevent residents from making attempts to retrieve their possessions, but some people did make it past the barricades.

At least one person was seen climbing down from the building's upper floors, despite signs and warnings that it was unsafe to enter.

In a statement from the city, VFRS said only that the bodies were found during the demolition. Firefighters did not say where they were located.

Speaking to reporters in the afternoon, before the second discovery was announced, Fry said the first body was found on the building's third floor, on its south side, around 11 a.m.

"Our search is not complete and we have not gotten into the building," Fry said at the time.

"To be completely clear, we are not going in the building. We are not entering the building. It is all through the demolition process (that the search is being conducted)."

Crews said they were mindful that it was possible that someone may have been inside, and that investigators and the demolition crew have been cautious for that reason.

On Thursday, it was announced that the cause of the fire that displaced dozens of vulnerable residents was deemed accidental.

An investigation revealed it was sparked by unattended candles in a unit on the second floor, officials said.

The demolition, delayed by residents trying to get inside and by the approval process for the city's plan, was paused again as a result of the discoveries.

Demolition will resume on Monday, VFRS said in its statement.