Vancouver firefighters battle overnight blazes

Vancouver firefighters had a busy night dealing with two house fires in East Vancouver.

One of the fires broke out at a vacant house on Renfrew Street near Parker Street around 3 a.m.

The fire claimed the life of a house cat, but no one else was living in the house at the time.

Flames were shooting through the windows of the home when crews first arrived.

Officials said the house was filled with hoarded items, causing some challenges for their crews.

"There's lots of risks … the unknown, the unstableness of the materials, the deterioration of the home," said Batt. Chief Mike Sereda. 

"Some of the crews came from another fire earlier tonight, but they did a really good job. They were fast and efficient."

Victoria Drive fire

An earlier fire on Victoria Drive and East 54th Avenue broke in a suite of a house some time before 10 p.m.

Everyone escaped that blaze safely but the fire had made its way into the roof before crews arrived.

"There's always challenges with a bit of an older building like this," said Assistant Chief Martin Paulson of Vancouver Fire Rescue.

"Fires can travel through the walls get up into the roof area so the crews have to open up a lot, they're gonna be opening up walls interior as well as on the exterior."

The home contained three suites and an electronics business on the second floor.

Officials did not say if either of the fires were suspicious. The causes are still under investigation.