Downtown Vancouver fire: Cause confirmed, drone used to search for trespassers

The cause of a fire that severely damaged a Vancouver heritage building in Gastown and displaced dozens of residents has been released by officials as police work to clear the area using drones.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said its preliminary investigation into the fire at the Winters Hotel on Abbott Street revealed the fire was accidental and started from unattended candles. Supervisory staff first discovered the fire and tried to extinguish it themselves. When they couldn't, they began alerting occupants.

Damage to the building was so severe that city officials determined it needed to be demolished. That work was supposed to begin on Wednesday, but was delayed while safety plans were finalized.

On Thursday, demolition was delayed again by people who entered the building overnight. City staff confirmed Vancouver police were using drones to ensure the building was clear before the demolition goes ahead.

"That's how they're checking the building because it's not safe to enter, even to search for people in the building," Saul Schwebs with the City of Vancouver told reporters Thursday. "They're confident that's a safe way to conduct the search."

Work was supposed to begin at 7 a.m. but instead began at 12:30 p.m., once officials ensured it was vacant.

Last Monday's devastating fire destroyed much of the heritage building and sent five people to hospital and displacing dozens of residents.

Days before that fire, crews were called to a minor blaze in a different unit. Sprinkler systems in the building extinguished that blaze, VFRS said, adding that crews shut off sprinklers following that incident. As standard process, they then issued a notice of violation to have the fire life safety systems serviced, which requires a fire watch being in place until the safety system is operating again.

Speaking to CTV News outside the building Wednesday, some tenants of the single-room occupancy residence said they felt distressed, having been stripped from their homes and their personal belongings.

With the series of setbacks, the City of Vancouver hopes demolition will be complete by Friday afternoon, but said roads might not reopen by Friday night as originally anticipated. 

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Tahmina Aziz