Vancouver heritage home suffers 'extensive damage' in fire

A heritage home in Vancouver suffered "extensive damage" in a fire that broke out late Saturday morning, according to firefighters. (Rohana Rezel X/@rohanarezel)

A heritage home in Vancouver suffered "extensive damage" in a fire that broke out late Saturday morning, according to firefighters.

Crews were called to the house at the intersection of West 10th Avenue and Columbia Street around 11:30 a.m., said Jarret Gray, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.

When they arrived, firefighters found trees at the back of the home, along with its back deck, engulfed in flames, Gray said.

Approximately 30 firefighters responded and were able to knock down the fire fairly quickly, but not before the house suffered "extensive" fire and water damage.

The fire sent a plume of black smoke billowing into the sky, alerting people across the city that something was on fire.

Gray said the blaze got so hot, the vinyl siding on a neighbouring apartment building started to melt.

There were no injuries to firefighters or members of the public, and the cause of the blaze is under investigation, Gray said.

He added that the residents of the home were displaced, but the structure did not appear to be a total loss. The damage is most significant at the back where the fire was burning, but the front of the home is intact.