People living in an East Vancouver neighbourhood are venting their frustration about an abandoned house they say has become a dangerous nuisance.
The home at 2520 East Pender St., just east of Nanaimo Street, was severely damaged in a fire in July.
Neighbours say the former tenants were hoarders, and since the fire, the property has become inundated with trash and debris that’s attracted a cavalcade of scavengers.
While the property was fenced off following the fire, the barrier has proven ineffective.
Neighbour Jay Rosen has been calling the city asking for it to deal with the problem. He’s concerned there could be another fire.
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“There’s still so much flammable material there and batteries and all that. That’s the main concern – safety of the neighbourhood and of the people who live here,” he said.
“And then there’s also the concern of the amount of stolen whatever stuff in the back; it’s become a magnet for other folks who’ve been continuously breaking in, pulling stuff out, leaving it. If they get halfway down the street with it and decide they can’t carry it, they leave it.”
Rosen said the activity at the property has resulted in detritus strewn around the neighbourhood, along with noise and late-night activity.
He said neighbours have been growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of action from the city or from the property’s owner.
“We shouldn’t have to be policing our situation here if the city’s not going to clean up this property here, or have this absentee landlord allowing this property just to sit like this,” he said.
The property has kept Vancouver police busy.
Sgt. Steve Addison said officers have attended the home at least 12 times within the last month alone.
“People who live in that neighbourhood are justifiably frustrated,” he said. “That frustration is something we absolutely understand and is something we share, when our officers are repeatedly called over and over again for things that could easily be prevented by creating a more secure perimeter.”
No one from the City of Vancouver was available for an interview on Wednesday.
When Global News asked Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) about the potential safety risk Monday, Chief Karen Fry said she would look into it and have her team contact property use and the chief building official.
By Tuesday, Fry had issued a fire chief’s order directing the property owner to remove combustible materials – including lithium-ion batteries – from the site within 10 days.
However, the city has since posted a notice on the security fence warning the owners they have 10 days to clean the property up, or the city will do it and bill them.
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