Heritage building destroyed by fire will be demolished in just 2 days: City of Vancouver

The demolition of a Vancouver heritage building destroyed in a fire that left dozens without a home earlier this month begins this week.

Saul Schwebs, the City of Vancouver's chief building official, spoke to media at a news conference ahead of the major tear-down, explaining what those in the area need to know and how the process will work.

Schwebs said the process of demolishing the four-storey brick building in the city's Gastown neighbourhood is expected to take just two days, meaning this stage of the project should be completed by Thursday evening.

Equipment is expected to arrive Tuesday, and the actual work will start Wednesday morning.

During that time, the streets, sidewalks and buildings in the area popular with tourists and locals for its shops, bars and restaurants will be closed for safety reasons.

The earliest estimate of reopening, following demolition and cleanup, is Friday, he said.

"The city will make every effort to finish the demolition process as quickly as possible, with all safety precautions in place," he told reporters gathered near the scene of the fire on Abbott and Water streets.

Some businesses will be able to operate as normal, he said, but a number located close to what was the single-room-occupancy Winter Hotel will not.

A third-party structural assessment was completed to determine whether it's safe for those associated with the seven businesses in the building itself to enter before the demolition begins, in addition to the city's own assessment, the results of which are expected by around noon, he said.

As for the building's heritage status, in some cases, crews would work to maintain the façade. But Schwebs said that would "significantly delay the process," increasing the risk to the public and workers, given how damaged the building was in the fire.

Those in the area – either residents, workers or otherwise – are advised that measures are being taken to control dust and debris, but everyone is advised to stay clear of the site at all times. They're recommended to keep all windows closed and turn off all vents as well.

The city will be monitoring air quality, and Vancouver firefighters will be there to mitigate the amount of dust in the area by hosing it down. An environmental consultant will also be working on the project, Schwebs said.

A planned power outage will occur starting on Wednesday morning, as part of the demolition. There is no estimated time of power restoration; Schwebs said only that it will be turned back on when safe.

The city said impacted customers have been notified by BC Hydro.

Those in the area are warned there will be noise as a large excavator and other equipment are used, but that there will be no use of jackhammers as part of the project.

Crews will be working outside of regular business hours to get the work done as soon as possible, so this noise will continue into the evening.

Abbott Street is fully closed, as it has been for days, and will remain closed between Water Street and Blood Alley for some time. This closure was extended Tuesday on to Cordova Street, and further closures are possible as equipment is brought in and materials are removed.

As the project begins, dozens of people who lost everything in the devastating fire are getting new places to call home.

The fire that broke out on April 11 in the building home to some of the city's most vulnerable residents displaced 71 people, and sent five to hospital. Fortunately, all residents were accounted for.

Dozens more from a nearby SRO were also displaced because of toxic smoke damage.

On Tuesday afternoon, those impacted at Winters Hotel will be moving into the Old Columbia Hotel, located in the city's Downtown Eastside. The residents of the other SRO are expected to move back home once it's safe to do so, after demolition.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but the demolition work should allow for inspectors to finally enter the building and begin their investigation.

A smaller fire was reported just days before, but it was contained to one unit.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Regan Hasegawa