East Vancouver three-storey home gutted by large fire

Vancouver fire crews battled a fire in a three-storey house in East Vancouver late Tuesday evening.

Tania Stacy lives next door to the house and immediately called 911 just before midnight, after hearing her neighbour yelling outside.

"I was actually going to go to bed," said Stacy. "I just saw really black billowing smoke, and then flames shooting out of the main floor windows.

"It got quite big before the fire department came here. It is very scary when you live right by the fire."

Fire destroyed second floor

Firefighters quickly contained the fire to the second floor of the house, located on East 11th Avenue, although the third floor suffered some minor smoke damage.

"We were on scene quickly, inside quickly … this was a very successful operation," said Battalion Chief Peter Bridge.

"It looks like it started in the inside near the back of the house, it could be a kitchen area," he added.

Bridge said the lone occupant of the house left the scene before police and fire crews arrived.

In a statement, Vancouver Police said, "the cause of his reported erratic behavior has not been determined."

Early morning blaze

Another fire broke out in the same house later around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. A family living in a neighbouring house called 911 after seeing flames shoot through the windows on the third floor.

Bridge said that fire was most likely not suspicious; he said an overlooked hotspot from last night's fire may have rekindled and started flaring up again.

The cause is currently under investigation.