Fire destroys abandoned home in South Vancouver

More than two dozen firefighters responded to the scene on SW Marine Drive in Vancouver at approximately 6:45 a.m. Oct. 3, 2024. (CTV News)

No injuries were reported after a fire tore through an abandoned home in Vancouver's Kerrisdale neighbourhood early Thursday morning.

More than two dozen firefighters responded to the scene on SW Marine Drive at approximately 6:45 a.m.

On arrival, fire crews found the building fully engulfed, with flames and smoke shooting through the roof of the home, according to Vancouver Fire Rescue Services Asst. Chief Pierre Morin Pierre Morin.

"We immediately went defensive," Morin said from the scene. "We did not make entry to this building. It was a little bit dilapidated; it's been abandoned since 2013."

Neighbours reported seeing squatters inside the derelict home but the cause of the blaze has not been determined.

"There's definitely evidence of squatters being there in the past, whether they were there last night, we don't know right now," Morin said.

The fire was contained to the abandoned home and was extinguished in approximately 30 minutes, however a neighbouring home sustained minor heat damage, Morin said.

Traffic along SW Marine Drive was closed in both directions between W 57th Avenue and Macdonald Street for much of the morning.

Fire investigators are expected to remain on scene throughout the day.