Dozens of tenants were displaced by a fire that tore through a low-income apartment building in East Vancouver Monday afternoon.
Firefighters arrived at the building on Woodland Drive near East Hastings Street to find smoke and flames pouring from the windows.
A woman outside told officials there were people inside, so firefighters called for backup. About 50 firefighters were called in to help put out the flames.
When the three-alarm fire had been knocked down enough to begin a search, crews entered the building to look for signs of those inside.
The fallen debris created a maze inside, and it took firefighters some time to complete the search. Fortunately it does not appear that anyone was trapped or injured.
The fire was in the walls, and crews had to use axes and chainsaws to tear apart the front of the building to knock back the flames. Every few minutes, another burst of smoke or flame could be seen from a window.
Firefighters were also seen throwing items outside the apparently crowded building, into the street, to clear their path.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Vancouver police arson investigators were brought in as the blaze is considered suspicious.
The fire chief credited the apartment building's proximity to the fire hall for their ability to respond so quickly, and to keep it from getting worse.
Still, several people will be displaced by the fire, he said. The building has 30 suites, and damage to the first and second floors was extensive.
If the building can be repaired, it's likely some suites located closer to the fire will take longer to fix than others, and those residents may have to find another place to live.
Emergency Social Services is providing food and temporary lodging for those displaced by the blaze.
Don Wolchuk, who lives in the apartment above the unit where the fire is believed to have started, said he saw a "big gust of fire" come through his window.
"I shut my window and grabbed the most essential things I needed and got out of there basically," he told CTV News.
Wolchuk returned to what was left of his apartment on Tuesday to see what could be salvaged.
"I'm pretty sad. I don't know what else to say. It's just devastating," Wolchuk said.
"I have no idea how I'm going to get my life back together after this."
The city is hopeful that some will be able to move back in, but the structural damage caused by the fire has not yet been assessed.
If the building cannot be repaired, municipal officials will try to find other low-income housing solutions for those displaced, but affordable units are hard to come by in a city with a vacancy rate lower than 1 per cent.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Ben Miljure and Shannon Paterson
