Flames and smoke were visible from a construction site on Vancouver’s west side Tuesday evening, marking the city’s second major fire of the day.
The large blaze in the Dunbar neighborhood began around 6:30 p.m. PT. Videos from the scene showed a crane collapsing near the fire at West 41st Avenue and Collingwood Street.
The crane collapse led to the downing of power lines and damage to electrical equipment, causing an outage that affected around 760 customers, according to B.C. Hydro. The utility was working on switching some customers to other circuits to restore power more quickly.
The fire consumed a six-storey wood-frame building under construction. “We have no indication that there were people on site, and the building is a total loss,” stated Robert Weeks, deputy fire chief of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.
The blaze also spread to several nearby homes, displacing residents. Weeks reported that while most secondary fires were extinguished by crews and community members, one house east of the original fire was lost.
Late Tuesday night, the city advised displaced residents or those needing assistance to seek help at Crofton House School, located at 3200 W 41st Avenue.
Dozens of fire crews from Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond responded to the blaze. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Robert Weeks, deputy fire chief of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, reported some minor injuries among firefighters, but no injuries have been reported among residents. He noted that a citizen had to be rescued due to the crane collapse, but he could not provide details about their condition.
A spokesperson for the Provincial Health Services Authority, which oversees B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), confirmed that as of 8:30 p.m. PT, no one required medical assessment or hospitalization.
Residents in Dunbar described the fire as alarming and frightening but expressed appreciation for the firefighters’ efforts.
Weeks indicated that the Dunbar fire is one of several incidents in Vancouver on Tuesday evening. He mentioned it’s too early to determine if the fires are related.
Earlier in the day, Vancouver’s first fire occurred at an abandoned apartment building at 414 East 10th Avenue in East Vancouver, a year after a major fire at the same location displaced 70 people.
With files from Jessica Cheung.