Port Metro Vancouver fire was accidental investigation finds

The Vancouver Fire Department has concluded the Port Metro Vancouver container fire in March was accidental, but was unable to pinpoint its cause.

The four-alarm chemical fire forced hundreds in the city's downtown core to stay indoors for several hours as fire crews battled heavy, toxic smoke.

The container fire was fuelled by trichloroisocyanuric acid in the form of stabilized chlorine pool pucks. The container had come from China, and was waiting to be loaded onto a train bound for Eastern Canada.

"It is undetermined if the fire was a result of product, packaging, or handling failure within the secured container," said Vancouver Fire Department Capt. Brian Hutchinson in a news release.