Fire guts heritage home in West End
A massive blaze destroyed one of the West End’s oldest stand-alone houses on Saturday evening, sending two to hospital.
Firefighters were called to the 1100-block of Broughton Street in Vancouver on Saturday around 8 p.m. for a blaze at a two-storey and basement structure.
According to Steve Duncan, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services battalion chief, there were a number of residents living in the structure, which is split into several residential suites.
On Sunday morning, Assistant Chief of Operations Dave Boone confirmed two were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and that all the residents had been accounted for. Some residents were rescued from the building’s fire escape by firefighters.
Crews were able to contain the blaze to the one structure and no adjacent buildings were damaged. Boone said the building was constructed from wood and that it would likely be torn down due to severe damage. Nearly 50 firefighters were required to help knock down the blaze.
Shortly after the fire broke out Saturday, a large crowd quickly gathered to watch crews try to contain it, with many onlookers posting footage of the fire to social media. One video shows smoke pouring out of the front windows of the heritage home, as several firefighters and two fire engines surround the structure.
The cause of the fire isn’t yet known, but initial reports indicated the blaze originated on the ground floor before spreading rapidly toward the roof.
The house, built in 1901, has been a staple of Vancouver’s West End for over a century.