Fire destroys under-construction building in Langley

Vancouver -

A large fire at a construction site in Langley shut down traffic on a main road in the township on Saturday.

Images from the scene of the fire on 80th Avenue show crews working to control a large blaze that sent smoke and flames shooting from the roof of one building.

Next door, the charred frame of another building could be seen.

Firefighters were initially called to the scene in the 20200 block of 80th Avenue for reports of a vehicle fire, said Andy Hewitson, assistant fire chief for the Township of Langley Fire Department.

When they arrived, they instead found an under-construction three-storey building fully engulfed in flames, Hewitson said.

A total of 40 firefighters from the township and City of Langley responded to the blaze, which was the second in the township in as many days.

"At this point, there's no reported injuries, but with the extra heat, it's really taking its toll on crews," Hewitson said. They're still recovering from the fire we had yesterday."

In a tweet, Langley RCMP said 80th Avenue would be closed in both directions between 200 and 204 streets "for the foreseeable future," and recommended drivers seek alternate routes.

On Friday, fast-moving flames destroyed one home and severely damaged another in the Murrayville neighbourhood, displacing a mother and her four children and destroying specialized medical equipment. 

Andrea Van Enter, who lived in one of the homes that caught fire Friday, told CTV News Vancouver she didn't know her house was on fire until her neighbour banged on the door.

She rushed to get her whole family out, including her 17-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy.

“My oldest daughter has a lot of things she needs just to get around," Van Enter said. "A wheelchair, walkers, we have a chair-lift in our house, adapted bathroom, everything is just burnt."

A GoFundMe campaign set up under the family’s name has more than doubled its goal in less than 24 hours. 

The cause of the latest fire is still under investigation, Hewitson said.