3 families displaced by South Vancouver fire, crews say

Three families have been displaced after a fire broke out at a house in South Vancouver Tuesday afternoon.

The blaze began around 3:45 p.m. at the home in the 1100 block of East 54th Avenue, according to Brad Hesse, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.

When crews arrived at the scene, flames could be seen coming from the roof of the building, Hesse said, adding that firefighters were able to attack the fire from inside the home.

Hesse said the blaze appears to have begun in "the bathroom area" of the upstairs unit. The cause is still under investigation, but it does not appear to be suspicious, he added.

"All occupants of the building, including the pet bunny rabbit, were able to exit," Hesse said, adding that no one was injured.

He said the three families that reside in the home would be "displaced overnight," but also noted that crews arrived quickly and were able to contain the damage to a "very small portion of the house."

Roughly 32 firefighters responded to the scene.

"I would like to add that there were not working smoke detectors in the building," Hesse said.

"I can't stress enough how important this is. We're very fortunate that this happened in the daytime and everybody was awake."