Vacant building fire in East Vancouver shuts down roads, fills Strathcona with smoke
A fire tore through a vacant building in East Vancouver on morning of Sunday, July 20, sending thick smoke across the Strathcona neighbourhood and triggering road closures and bus detours.
The fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. in a three-storey building near East Hastings Street and Vernon Drive.
Flames were already pouring out of the windows when crews arrived.
“We had a partial building collapse at the back,” said Acting Assistant Fire Chief Wesley Abrams in an interview with Daily Hive.
“It was upgraded to a second alarm pretty quickly, and we’ve still got about 30 firefighters on site working to knock it down.”
Something is on fire in #eastvan #strathcona pic.twitter.com/BvbuYJNuKk
— jchaput (@fromagevino) July 20, 2025
While the fire was large and intense, Abrams confirmed there were no reported injuries and it’s not yet known if anyone was inside.
The building was abandoned, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
East Hastings Street is currently closed between Campbell Avenue and Clark Drive, and buses normally running along East Hastings Street are being detoured.
As of 11:51 a.m., the City of Vancouver issued a fire advisory warning residents of Strathcona to stay inside and close all windows, vents, and doors which is still “active”.
We are aware of a structure fire in @CityofVancouver on East Hastings Street near Clark Drive, that is producing significant smoke. We are closely watching the situation and monitoring air quality. For air quality readings near you, visit https://t.co/Rc2gAFnQSn
— Metro Vancouver (@MetroVancouver) July 20, 2025
“You can definitely smell it in the area,” Abrams said from the scene. “There’s still a lot of heat and smoke coming off the backside of the structure.”
He also had a reminder for locals,”If you hear a fire alarm in your building, don’t ignore it… get out and make sure everyone in your household is safe. And double check that your smoke detectors are working.”
Fire advisory zone near East Hastings. (City of Vancouver/Alertable)
As of late Sunday afternoon, crews expected “at least another 90 minutes” of firefighting ahead.
To learn more about fire safety and what to do after an emergency, the City of Vancouver has created a recovery guide for residents.
This story will be updated as more details emerge.
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