The crane that collapsed during a huge fire at a construction site in Vancouver’s West Side on Tuesday evening will likely remain lying across West 41st Avenue for another week, officials said Thursday.
The crane crashed into a home in the Dunbar neighbourhood as the fire spread from the six-storey wooden frame of an under-construction building to several homes in the area.
No residents were injured.
Assistant Fire Chief Pierre Morin said Thursday morning that the fire is now out, and it’s still not clear what caused it.
Authorities including WorkSafeBC need to investigate the cause of the blaze before crews can start to clean up, he added.
After a massive fire broke out in Vancouver’s Dunbar area Tuesday evening, two brothers sprang into action, using buckets and garden hoses to stop the flames from spreading.
The crane will keep West 41st Avenue closed between Dunbar and Collingwood streets, Morin said.
He added that most residents who were ordered to leave the area Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning will be able to return home on Thursday. They exclude residents of the home hit by the crane, of six homes that sustained significant damage from fire — two of which are total losses — and one with dangerous scaffolding nearby.
Morin said several other houses in the neighbourhood might have minor fire damage, which should be covered by insurance.
A towering construction crane came crashing down into a Vancouver house as fire and explosions engulfed a construction site in the city’s west end.
The fire broke out at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at a construction site near West 41st Avenue and Dunbar Street.
Morin said embers and flaming Styrofoam floated around the neighbourhood, starting spot fires nearby, including in several houses.
Residents reported hearing several loud bangs before the crane toppled at the site where a six-storey, 114-unit rental building was being built by Sightline Properties. Firefighters say the site will need to be demolished.
Sightline Properties did not respond to request for comment.
In an email to CBC News, a B.C. Hydro spokesperson said the utility had fully restored service to the neighbourhood. He said there is extensive damage to electrical equipment, and several poles will need to be replaced.