Homeless man dies in Vancouver tent fire on Christmas morning

FILE: Tents are seen on the sidewalk in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside on April 3, 2023, prior to a being removed by the city.

An unidentified homeless man died after his tent caught fire in downtown Vancouver on Christmas morning, according to firefighters.

The Vancouver Fire Rescue Service said members were dispatched near Canada Place around 9 a.m., and arrived to find the victim motionless outside his burning tent.

"There was a patient laying in the road, and they were still on fire," Asst. Chief Keith Stewart said. "Our crews used an extinguisher to put the patient out. Unfortunately, the patient had succumbed to their injuries."

Authorities believe the fire started because of a cooking accident.

"Fire spreads in a tent so quick. There's no fire protection," Stewart said. "There's no sprinklers, no smoke alarms."

There are a number of other tents nearby but the flames did not spread to any of them, the assistant fire chief added.

So far, the identity of the deceased has not been determined.

The tragic incident on the holiday Monday highlighted the growing homelessness problem in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

Earlier this year, volunteers performed the first Metro Vancouver homeless count since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and found there has been a 32 per cent increase in homelessness since 2020.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Lisa Steacy