Squatters spark blaze at Mount Pleasant apartment destroyed by fire this summer
An apartment building that has been vacant and boarded up since a fire broke out over a month ago caught on fire again Wednesday morning.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services’ Batt. Chief Mike Anzulovich told Daily Hive no one was allowed to be in the building at 414 East 10th Avenue, where more than 70 people have been displaced.
However, when fire crews arrived after 8:30 am, they found a small fire contained to one vacant suite on the main floor. Anzulovich said it appeared squatters had been on the floor.
Firefighters were able to take down the fire immediately, Anzulovich ensured.
During the crew’s primary search of the building, they also found squatters on the third floor, who were instructed to leave the building.
“It’s a vacant, empty building. There’s no power or gas to it,” Anzulovich said. He added that the investigation is ongoing and did not confirm if the fire was suspicious or not.
In late July, firefighters were called because of reports of smoke on the third floor of the Mount Pleasant building and encountered heavy smoke conditions. Crews immediately began rescuing occupants at the rear of the building from third-floor balconies.
This fire also caused a number of power outages for customers in the area. According to BC Hydro, more than one thousand customers were without electricity that morning.
Anzulovich said the fire department is still investigating the cause of the July fire but said, “I do not believe [it] was arson at this point but the original fire was just accidentally.”