Highrise fire in Vancouver caused by magnifying effect: fire department
A fire on the roof of a Vancouver highrise under construction appears to have been caused by sunlight being magnified by a curved wall of windows.
That’s the determination reached by Vancouver Fire Rescue Services after last Tuesday’s fire on the eighth floor the building on Quebec Street and Fourth Avenue.
In a tweet, Trevor Connelly, VFRS assistant chief of operations, revealed the fire was caused by “magnification of sunlight by a concave shaped wall of windows,” attaching a photo showing charred roof insulation and several windows on the wall blown out.
In an email to CTV News, Connelly said “these types of incidents are rare, however, it does happen.”
One example he pointed to, was the infamous case of the “Walkie-Talkie” tower in London, England.
The building has a curved shape, and had a glare so strong, it melted nearby cars and shops in September 2014. The solution to the solar glare problem was fixed by the erection of a permanent sunshade on the upper floors.
Connelly said he’s only seen such cases “roughly half a dozen times” in his career, including a vase in a sunny window that started a fire in a pillow, and one where a crystal or glass ball started two fires at the same time.
In this latest case on Quebec Street, the fire did extend from the roof into the interior of the building, but crews were able to extinguish it quickly before it spread too far. No one was hurt.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.