Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Several rescued in Vancouver building fire: chief

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Apr, 2022 12:37 PM
  • Several rescued in Vancouver building fire: chief

VANCOUVER - Two people were taken to hospital and officials were trying to account for everyone who lived in a building that caught fire Monday in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood, the fire chief said as heavy smoke filled the air behind her.

Officials didn't know the status of all the residents of the four-storey building and they were looking for "upwards of a handful," said Chief Karen Fry, adding people could have been out or scattered after fleeing the flames.

Fry said paramedics told her one person was injured while jumping from an upper floor as firefighters were arriving and another woman was hospitalized after being rescued from the second floor about an hour into the blaze.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to rescue others from upper floors, which were engulfed in smoke and flame at the time, the chief said.

The fire appears to have started on the third or fourth floor, but officials won't know the cause until an investigation is complete, Fry said.

Simon Fraser University student Joseph Ku, 20, said he was attending class in a building about a block away when he started smelling smoke.

He and his classmates made their way outside, where Ku said he saw a man with black marks on his face and body lying on the ground. Ku said the man began responding to emergency efforts to resuscitate him before being transported away.

Fry said fire crews were called around 11 a.m. and found flames and heavy smoke coming from the building, which contains low-income single rooms.

It was home to vulnerable residents in the city's Downtown Eastside and housing will need to be arranged for those who were displaced, she said.

By mid-afternoon, Fry said part of the roof had collapsed. Crews were attacking the fire from all sides to prevent it spreading to neighbouring buildings, she said.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told a separate news conference on Monday that an estimated 70 residents were affected, and a reception centre was being established for those who need support.

Fry said the building had recently been inspected and it had a sprinkler system, but she didn't know if it was working when the fire broke out.

Smoke that drifted across downtown from the fire was toxic and should be avoided, she added.

The building is one of the area's oldest, Fry said, and it likely had a wooden frame with a brick façade that was crumbling in parts.

"Once (the fire) gets into the membrane of the building or the outer walls and into the roof, it's really difficult, it's like you're chasing it, chasing the fire."

About 55 firefighters along with support personnel responded to the call, Fry said.

Photo courtesy of Karen Fry via Twitter. 

MORE National ARTICLES

21 year old student from Delhi, Kartik Vasudev, shot outside a Toronto skytrain station, family left in shock in India

21 year old student from Delhi, Kartik Vasudev, shot outside a Toronto skytrain station, family left in shock in India
Kartik Vasudev who was only 21 was shot dead outside a skytrain station in Toronto. He was going to hop on the bus to head to his part-time job. The family was able to confirm the death on Friday afternoon but don't know the motive behind the shooting.   

21 year old student from Delhi, Kartik Vasudev, shot outside a Toronto skytrain station, family left in shock in India

“How much longer?” The case of delays in BC’s healthcare system

“How much longer?”  The case of delays in BC’s healthcare system
While the pandemic has taken the major focus of the healthcare arena and has been using most of its resources, the system was already running beyond 100% pre-pandemic. While normal businesses may have responded to pandemic-related challenges by simply hiring more staff, the health care system was already maxed out and could not respond by just adding more resources than it could safely handle.

“How much longer?” The case of delays in BC’s healthcare system

What comes next for federal dental care

What comes next for federal dental care
The terms of the deal say the government must start with children under the age of 12 in 2022, expand to under 18-year-olds, seniors and people with disabilities in 2023, and fully implement the program by 2025.

What comes next for federal dental care

Canada to donate more money to COVAX

Canada to donate more money to COVAX
COVAX raised another US$1.7 billion from countries like Canada at the event. The cash is intended to help Canada make good on its commitment to donate at least 200 million doses by the end of the year.

Canada to donate more money to COVAX

Robbers threatened staff with knife, demanded money, and stole liquor from a liquor store in Cloverdale

Robbers threatened staff with knife, demanded money, and stole liquor from a liquor store in Cloverdale
Surrey RCMP Frontline officers arrived on scene within minutes; however, the suspects had fled the area. The three suspects were able to get away with cash and liquor, but fortunately, no one was physically injured.

Robbers threatened staff with knife, demanded money, and stole liquor from a liquor store in Cloverdale

Liberal budget will pass with NDP support

Liberal budget will pass with NDP support
Amita Kuttner said the plan to get to net-zero is not enough to meet Canada's emissions reduction targets and the Greens wanted the budget to centre on climate change in every policy area.    

Liberal budget will pass with NDP support