An abandoned apartment building in East Vancouver that caught fire on Tuesday, a year after a previous blaze displaced 70 residents, will now be demolished, according to the city’s fire department.
In an update Wednesday, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) said the city’s chief building official has ordered the demolition due to the building’s condition.
“We expect that work will proceed as soon as possible in the coming days,” VFRS said in a statement.
Assistant Chief Keith Stewart told CBC News that firefighters were called to the building at 414 E. 10th Ave. around 4:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday.
They arrived to find heavy black smoke and the entire third floor ablaze.
Stewart said no injuries were reported as of 6:45 p.m. PT on Tuesday, and the fire had been confined to the building. No cause was immediately provided.
The apartment complex is believed to be abandoned, according to Stewart.
The fire at the building just over a year ago was believed to have been caused by candles and was ruled to have started accidentally.
The owners of the building have faced multiple fire code violations in the past. Displaced tenants told CBC News earlier this summer they were still waiting for compensation from their landlords after the fire.
A few hours after Tuesday’s fire, another major blaze broke out at a construction site at West 41st Avenue and Collingwood Street in the city’s Dunbar neighbourhood.