A huge fire in Burnaby has destroyed two businesses.
The fire started in a vacant building on Kingsway, near 13 Avenue, in what used to be a thrift shop around 3 a.m. The building was slated for demolition. Nearby townhouses had to be evacuated due to the smoke and encroaching flames, but those residents have now been allowed home.
However, the blaze did spread to a nearby car lot.
Dozens of firefighters rushed to the scene to douse the quickly spreading fire. They are now just putting out the hotspots.
“When they arrived there was flames shooting probably 30 feet into the air,” said the deputy chief of the Burnaby Fire Department. “There was extension to the other buildings, the townhouse complex, to the side and to the rear of the structure.”
“The crews did a great job knocking those flames down right away and evacuating the people from the townhouse suites.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Crews in Burnaby were busy this morning as they were also on scene at a house fire on Government Street.