Several families were out of their homes on Monday night after a fire ripped through multiple properties in East Vancouver.
Just after 8 p.m. on Monday, huge flames and embers could be seen shooting into the sky near East Pender Street and Glen Drive.
Four homes were damaged by the fire, with two of them possibly destroyed.
Naomi Stinton told Global News just after dinner on Monday they heard a popping sound outside their back door but they thought it was fireworks.
However, when she opened the door, she said the neighbour’s back deck was on fire.
Stinton said she yelled at her husband to grab the hose, at her kids to grab the phone and go outside and call 911 and then she ran to the house behind them and banged on their door.
“At that point, it was just starting,” she said. “It all just happened so fast. Before the fire trucks came, and they did come quickly, the fire had already jumped from the deck to our house and everything’s gone.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Stinton’s family who lost all their belongings, including their identification.
She said her family has lived in that house for 12 years and it’s the only house her children have known.
“Our daughter was born in the living room,” Stinton said, holding back tears.
She said the neighbourhood is a tight-knit community and it is hard to lose their community along with their home.
Stinton added that they are trying to get shoes and clothes for the children and tools for her husband’s carpentry business.
“We didn’t have insurance,” she said. “For the longest time, it was something we didn’t even think to afford. And then when we did, we just didn’t have all the information we needed on the suite to get renter’s insurance.
“So here we are. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but fire crews said it was a challenging call.
“These homes are extremely difficult and challenging to get to,” Vancouver fire Chief Karen Fry told Global News, adding that the trees along the street added an element of difficulty to their strategy.
“Trying to get our aerial device or our ladders up high to be able to shoot water down on the homes is tough.”
No injuries have been reported but several families now need a place to stay.