Vancouver fire sends 8 to hospital, displaces dozens

First responders say eight people have been sent to hospital and 38 have been displaced after a fire that began early Wednesday in a low-rise residential building in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood.

Firefighters say the three-storey, wood-framed Seven Maples building on West 7th Avenue at Maple Street sustained significant damage to three suites along with smoke damage to much of the structure.

Trevor Connelly, deputy chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, said the fire started on a couch in a second-storey unit before spreading to a neighbouring unit and a unit above through an open window.

He said two of the eight people injured are still in serious condition. B.C. Emergency Health Services said four people were in critical condition when they were taken to hospital.

Video shared with CBC News shows firefighters arriving at the site as flames burned a balcony and up the side of the building. The video also shows firefighters spraying water on the flames.

Charred and blackened balconies could be seen on several units of the building later Wednesday morning. Connelly said crews put out the fire and then worked to rescue residents trapped in their suites due to a build up of smoke and gas in the building.

"There were some dramatic rescues that did take place," said Connelly.

'Screaming'

Eoin Logn, who lives across the street from the Seven Maples building, which is run by B.C. Housing, told CBC News he was awoken by the fire and residents from the building calling out for help from their balconies.

"We could hear people on the third floor screaming to get out and we could see firefighters taking them out by ladders on the other side at 3:30 a.m.," he said.

Connelly said of the eight people taken to hospital, five were treated for minor smoke inhalation. One other had what he called moderate smoke inhalation.

He did not say what caused the fire and that it was still under investigation.

Connelly said the elderly tenant of the unit in which the fire started had moved the couch to his balcony once he noticed it was on fire. He said the tenant later jumped from the second-storey balcony to escape the flames.

Connelly said the man was in serious condition in hospital with second- and third-degree burns.

B.C. Emergency Health Services said 11 ambulances attended the scene and treated eight patients. It said four were taken to hospital in critical condition, while the other four were stable.

Connelly said the building had working fire alarms, but predated bylaws requiring sprinkler systems.

3rd major fire in a week

It's the third serious fire in Vancouver within a week.

On Aug. 6, a fire started at a construction site in the city's West Side, during which a crane collapsed into a house. On the same day, a fire broke out at an abandoned apartment block in East Vancouver.

Connelly said there was nothing connecting any of the three fires, but he urged residents to take steps to stay safe.

"Fires occur and we really want people to take note and look after themselves and make sure you have a working smoke alarm. Make sure you sleep with your bedroom door closed at night.

"These are the things that save lives."