The mayor and fire chief of Vancouver reported the blaze that broke out Monday at the Winters Hotel, a four-story Abbott Street heritage building. Sixty firefighters were called to the fire of the four alarms, which took about 12 hours to extinguish. Dozens of people living in the SRO were displaced and six businesses in the building were affected. Seven businesses in other buildings are affected by the road closures. Calling it a “catastrophic fire”, Mayor Kennedy Stewart said during the briefing that the building was “extensively damaged” and would likely need demolition. Stewart said Abbott Street had been closed since Tuesday and fences were being erected to limit the area that collapsed if the building collapsed. “This has been a situation everywhere and I am extremely proud of the response of the city,” Stewart said.
THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
Fire chief Karen Fry said during the briefing that the flames were “quite spectacular”. “The fire spread quickly, spreading to many empty spaces, ceilings, walls and floors,” he said, adding that crews focused on those in need of immediate rescue when they arrived. The investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing, but so far there is no evidence that it was an arson and it is believed that the fire started on the second floor of the house. Fry confirmed that firefighters were called to the same building on Friday for an accidental fire. The fire was limited to one unit, Fry said, adding that a “compliance order” had been issued at the time. Monday’s fire did not start in the same room as Friday. The last complete fire inspection in the building was completed in September and the building was considered satisfactory at that time. Like all SROs in the city, the building is “a sprinkler building,” Fry said. It is not known if the smoke alarms worked on Monday, but Fry said it was her “expectation” that this would be part of the investigation.
RESIDENTS CALCULATED
Ahead of the press conference, Janice Abbott, CEO of the nonprofit Atira Women’s Resource Society, which runs the SRO, which occupied the top floors of the building, told CTV News Vancouver that she believes “all tenants are counted”. Officials said all but one resident had been identified. This last resident is believed to be living with relatives. All staff and contractors are also believed to be safe, but were not notified of any visitors or pets who may have been inside the SRO at that time. “This building houses some of our most valuable residents in our city and the impact on them will be very traumatic,” Fry said. “Our hearts are with all those affected, not only residents but also businesses.” Five people were taken to hospital, but only two remain and are in stable condition. Six people needed rescue, Fry said. “Our fire brigades, I am extremely proud of the work they have done,” Fry said, calling their efforts “brave” and “heroic.” “A occupant had jumped from the top floor of the building and was at the back of the building in a really unsafe spot.” With 71 displaced residents, officials were left trying to find temporary housing for SRO residents. A second social housing building in the area also could not be inhabited due to heavy smoke damage and proximity to the collapse zone, officials said. Stewart said the city is working with BC Housing to find emergency shelter for all residents affected. It is hoped that they will be in permanent housing in the coming days. Stewart said many of the SROs in the city “were not built for current use”, saying the buildings were old and intended for temporary housing. In some cases, they were made for lumberjacks who came to downtown Vancouver, seeking a short stay before returning to work. “Now that we have people who live permanently in these buildings and have for a long time … they have had a good time dating,” Stewart said. “Losing 150 SRO rooms and how to get these people back on their feet and into a safe, warm, dry home is a huge challenge.”
