A pillar of smoke from a three-alarm fire in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood could be seen and smelled from several kilometres away as crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

Vancouver Fire said four houses in the area of Prior Street and Gore Avenue were affected Thursday morning. All that remained of one home was the charred frame, while the house next door appeared to have significant damage to the exterior.

It appears that the fire began in the most damaged home, which was abandoned. It then spread to the home next door.

The flames erupted between 5 and 6 a.m. Sleeping neighbours were awakened by the crackling and the smell, and raced out of their homes to see what was happening.

Gavin Lee's 87-year-old mother lives in one of the burned homes, and has a bad hip, so he rushed into the house and brought her out to safety.

"I'm just still trying to process it. My mother's house is gone," he said.

"I'm looking at it but I just can't process it. Forty years all gone, just like that."

Approximately 45 firefighters were called to the scene, which was still smouldering several hours after it was sparked. Officials said extensive debris and structural damage prevented firefighters from entering the most damaged homes, and that they had to wait for the arrival of heavy machinery.

They then planned to search for any possible victims and tear down the home to get at lingering hotspots.

The Prior Street exit of the Georgia Viaduct was closed as crews fought the fire, and other streets in the area were partially closed to make room for the trucks and equipment. Drivers were advised to avoid the area.

"Please DO NOT attempt to drive across fire hoses; it's illegal and exceedingly dangerous," they wrote, including an image from a previous incident.

A short time later, firefighters posted: "Ok folks, you got us on a technicality: Do not move cones to get through either."

They told CTV News someone had moved the pylons Thursday morning, planning to drive through the area.

With files from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander