East Vancouver apartment building goes up in flames — again

An abandoned apartment building in East Vancouver went up in flames on Tuesday, one year after a massive fire there displaced 70 people.

Assistant Chief Keith Stewart with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services told CBC News that firefighters were called to the building at 414 East 10th Ave. around 4:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday.

They arrived to find heavy black smoke and flames coming from the building, and the entire third floor ablaze.

Stewart said no injuries were reported as of 6:45 p.m. PT on Tuesday, and that the fire had been confined to the building.

Firefighters spray water on a building shrouded in smoke.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services firefighters watch as others spray an abandoned apartment building on Tuesday. Firefighters have not received any reports of injuries as of Tuesday evening. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)

He advised nearby residents to close their windows and doors to protect from smoke on Tuesday evening, and said there are likely to be road disruptions in the immediate area as firefighters work to tackle the blaze. No cause was immediately provided.

The apartment complex is believed to be abandoned, according to Stewart. Tuesday’s fire comes just over a year after a fire there displaced dozens of residents.

A man uses a cell phone to record firefighters extinguishing a blaze.
A man uses his phone to capture the efforts of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services on Tuesday. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)

That fire was believed to have been caused by candles and was ruled to have started accidentally, but the owners of the building have faced multiple fire code violations in the past.

Displaced tenants also told CBC News earlier this summer they were still waiting for compensation from their landlords after the devastating blaze.

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Posted in CBC