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Fallen construction crane due to building site fire will block 41st Avenue for at least one week

Kenneth Chan
Kenneth Chan
|
Aug 9 2024, 12:10 am
Fallen construction crane due to building site fire will block 41st Avenue for at least one week
Fire and collapsed construction crane at the corner of West 41st Avenue and Collingwood Street on August 6, 2024. (@Onyxclawe/X)

The toppled construction crane in Vancouver’s Dunbar-Southlands neighbourhood could remain in place for at least a week.

Tuesday evening’s major fire at the construction site at the northeast corner of the intersection of West 41st Avenue and Collingwood Street led to the failure and collapse of the crane onto West 41st Avenue and homes on the north side of that street.

Upon inquiry, the City of Vancouver told Daily Hive Urbanized today that planning for the removal of the collapsed crane is underway, which is a joint effort involving the property owner of the destroyed building site, qualified contractors, the municipal government, and relevant organizations such as WorkSafeBC.

This work is expected to begin in the coming days, but the damaged heavy-duty crane is not expected to be moved from its current location for at least one week.

It is noted that the crane will be moved using “qualified workers,” specialized lifting equipment, and transport vehicles capable of handling heavy machinery.

An investigation into the cause of the fire and crane collapse is also being performed concurrently.

“The duration is primarily due to the complexity of planning, equipment, and qualified workers required to safely dismantle and remove the collapsed tower crane. This process involves multiple steps, including ensuring worker and general site safety, coordinating logistics, and complying with regulations set by WorkSafeBC,” the City told Daily Hive Urbanized.

With the crane toppled over West 41st Avenue, the arterial roadway remains closed between Collingwood Street and Blenheim Street.

This road closure has also necessitated TransLink rerouting several buses in the area, including the R4 RapidBus and the local routes of No. 2 and No. 41. A shuttle bus service is also being operated to reach Dunbar bus loop.

It is also not immediately clear whether the West 41st Avenue roadway has sustained any damage necessitating repairs due to the extreme heat from the fire and the impact of the heavy-duty crane onto the pavement.

According to emergency responders, no deaths or injuries were reported. Due to severity of the fire and the significant Vancouver Fire Rescue Services resources that were already dispatched to the Mount Pleasant vacant building fire just hours earlier, firefighting crews from Burnaby and Richmond were also dispatched to the Dunbar-Southlands incident.

At the peak of the incident on Tuesday evening, about 81 people had been evacuated from their homes in the surrounding area. As of today, according to the City, all residents may now return home, with the exception of five homes directly impacted by the fire and/or crane collapse that are now deemed too unsafe to occupy.

The fallen crane also damaged TransLink’s overhead trolley power lines and BC Hydro’s electrical equipment.

At the peak of the incident, 760 customers in the neighbourhood were without electricity, but BC Hydro has since restored power.

The municipal government has also deployed sanitation teams to clean up the debris from the fire.

Embers from the fire of the partially built, wood-frame residential rental building also caused numerous fires in the surrounding area. At one point, the intense flames reached several storeys high above the wood-frame structure.

Significant ashfall was also experienced as far away as several blocks away from the fire.

According to the City, homeowners who would like to manage the cleanup of the ash and debris on their property should wear N95 masks, goggles, rubber gloves, boots, and long-sleeved shirts and pants.

“In most cases, gently sweeping indoor and outdoor hard surfaces followed by wet mopping is the best way to clean up ash residue. A damp cloth or wet mop may be all that is needed on lightly dusted areas,” reads the City’s advice for cleaning up.

“Collected ash and fire debris may be disposed of in the regular trash. Ash may be stored in plastic bags or other containers to help prevent it from being disturbed.”

The fire occurred at 5664 Collingwood Street (3449-3479 West 41st Avenue), which was set to be a six-story, 77,000 sq ft building with 114 secured purpose-built market rental homes.

Construction began in 2023 and it was set to reach occupancy by Spring 2025. At the time of the fire, construction had progressed to the completion of the sixth level’s woodframe rooftop.

The project’s construction contractor was Graham Construction, and the design firm was Ciccozzi Architecture.

Sightline Properties is the developer and owner. It also plans to build several other residential projects in the Vancouver Westside, including two similarly sized low-storey wood-frame secured purpose-built rental housing buildings at 1977 West 41st Avenue (5688 Maple Street) in Kerrisdale and 3803-3823 West 10th Avenue in West Point Grey. They are also proposing to build two 20-storey rental housing towers at 1726 West 11th Avenue near SkyTrain’s future South Granville Station.

5664 collingwood street 3449 3479 west 41st avenue vancouver sightline properties

Artistic rendering of the rental housing building construction project destroyed in the fire on Tuesday, August 6, 2024 at 5664 Collingwood Street (3449-3479 West 41st Avenue), Vancouver. (Sightline Properties)

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Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

Kenneth is the Urbanized Editor of Daily Hive. He covers everything from local architecture and urban issues to design, economic development, and more. He has worked in various roles in the company since joining in 2012. Got a story idea? Email Kenneth at [email protected]

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