Fire Chief Karen Fry told CBC News that crews were called to a fire at Powell Street and Princess Avenue around 3:30 a.m. PT Monday. When first responders arrived, they found it was a full structure fire. Fry says the fire spread from the back of one building to two others nearby. The buildings involved include two residences and what Fry believes is a business. The pic.twitter.com/66su7SuCgx — @Karen_Fry He said the roof of the first building that caught fire has collapsed. One of the buildings, located at 215 Princess Avenue, housed 42 residents, Fry said, and another on Powell Street housed 17 people. “The big thing is we now have over 60 more residents in our community who are going to be homeless tonight … and possibly for several weeks, if not longer,” he said. Jeffrey Allenson, who lives at 568 Powell Street, is one of the many forced to flee their homes. He said he was sitting up in his bed when he said he heard a “boom,” followed by a hiss. “You could hear the fire,” he said. “The whole building just shook.” He said he could see flames coming from the building next door. Fire crews are on the scene in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where a fire spread to three buildings early Monday. (Eva Uguen-Csenge/CBC) Allenson says his landlord is trying to find residents a place to stay tonight. Emergency Support Services were on site to assist displaced residents. Fry said she expected residents of the Princess Avenue building to be displaced until water and smoke damage could be assessed. One person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was injured and treated at the scene, Frye said. More than 40 firefighters were involved in extinguishing the fire, he added. From 7:30 am PT, Fry said crews were still tending to hot spots but would soon end firefighting activities. He said the road would be closed for “a few more hours”.
