Fire severely damages 2 homes in East Vancouver

A woman has been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and two homes have been severely damaged by a fire that broke out in East Vancouver Monday evening.

The call came in around 6 p.m., with neighbours saying fire crews arrived within minutes to the houses on Commercial Street near the intersection with 47th Avenue.

“The people living next door, the ones affected – I just saw them running outside without their slippers because the fire was on its way already, because of the wind,” said Becha Salcedo, whose home appeared to have narrowly avoided serious damage from the fire.

Five people are out of a home as a result of the fire, which mostly affected two houses, and slightly damaged a third.

And one person suffered injuries that are not considered life threatening.

“She had some black smoke on her face, some singed hair,” Acting Asst. Fire Chief Sean Gilmore with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services told reporters at the scene. “I’m not sure of the extent, but some minor burns and some smoke.”

Two of the homes have serious fire and water damage – but it’s unclear if they’re complete write offs.

“The first house definitely has the most damage,” noted Gilmore. “The roof’s not there anymore. Engineers will have to determine the safety of the structure and the next step.”

As for the cause of all this – that isn’t fully known, but there are some early indications.

“One of the residents did mention that they figured the fire started in the laundry room,” said Gilmore, noting the fire is not considered suspicious at this stage. “Fire investigator crews are here. They’ll determine the cause.”

While the flames are out, these houses will be under firewatch – and crews will be on alert for hotspots.