Multi-floor blaze at Vancouver highrise contained

Vancouver firefighters have contained a blaze that affected multiple units and floors of a highrise in the city's West End Monday afternoon.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services said crews were attacking a fire at a building located near the intersection of Alberni and Nicola streets, in a social media post just after 4 p.m. 

Capt. Matthew Trudeau, information officer for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, told CTV News Monday evening that fire crews had arrived at a “very intense and challenging” scene. 

Initial crews had witnessed glowing and “fire already erupting out of the window” and material beginning to fall from it to the street below, he said. 

Despite “several people” having to be evacuated, and the extent of the fire and the material falling from the building, there are no reports of any injuries as of yet, said Trudeau.

“We’re hoping that stays the same,” he said. 

Trudeau said the next priority is ensuring the fire stays contained, that neighbouring units are left undamaged and determining the number of people whose homes were affected. 

“Be it the smoke and heat, and also a lot of the water damage. We’ve been flowing water up there for some time, and it could be going into other units,” he said. 

VFRS  is "working with building management to see the scale and scope of how many people are actually really affected here, and how many people can go back,” he said. 

There are a number of lights still on in the building and so there will be “some people, for sure” who are able to return to their homes, he said. “We’re hoping that stays the same,” he said.

Allan Graham, who lives in a lowrise apartment complex on Haro Street, said he was sitting with his dog in his living room just after 4 p.m. when he was drawn to his window by the sounds of a “huge explosion.”

Graham said the explosion was so large it sounded like “it must be gas” and when he looked out to the affected apartment complex facing him, “two floors at the top of the building were completely ablaze.”

“The apartments have totally gone, they’re just shells now. Some poor people, I imagine quite a few people, are going to be homeless,” he said.

Graham said there was “lots and lots of debris falling from the building” and multiple fire services tending to the fire.

“I was quite worried about the people below,” he said.