Photo: Contributed Police advise drivers to avoid the Vancouver Gastown area due to a structural fire with three smoke-causing alarms filling the sky. The fire broke out on Monday (April 11) morning on the upper floors of a building on the 200 block of Abbot St. and the Vancouver Police Department advises drivers to avoid the area. The 200 block area includes many businesses such as Bruce Eyewear Inc, Lemongrass House, Nika Design and The Flying Pig. A detached house (SFO) in the building called Hotel Winters was evacuated. Hotel Winters employee Rhonda Bright spoke to Vancouver Is Awesome on stage and said there were three employees in the office when they heard someone shout “fire”. “Because we just had a fire on Friday night, we did not take it seriously,” the staff member added before being instructed not to speak to the media. There were three ladder trucks at the spot and two of them were throwing water from above. While there were flames that reached several feet above the construction shortly after 12:15 p.m., there were no flames. Several people were rescued from the building. Police have cordoned off the area and dozens of locals are watching the scene. Vancouver Is Awesome has contacted the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service and will update the story.
The views from the studio look a little different today. The fire appears to be in a building on Water Street. Get started quickly – I hope everyone is safe. #vancouver #gastown #fire @VanFireRescue pic.twitter.com/GOHPKEIYBG – Kate Bouchard (@mskathrynanne) April 11, 2022
