Residents of a Kitsilano neighbourhood are angry and frustrated over the charred remains of a house that was damaged by fire on Dec. 23 and subsequently demolished.
The century-old house was vacant and a couple of squatters are suspected of starting the fire.
Neighbours say despite repeated calls to the city, no one has taken responsibility for hauling the debris away.
“I work from home, I look out at that all day, every day from my office,” resident Joanne Turner said. “Not only is it an eyesore for the entire block and everybody else walking, but more importantly, it really is a health hazard.”
In a city with a near zero rental vacancy rate, there are five units in the building immediately west of the rubble and the landlord there is having a hard time renting them out because of ongoing water damage repairs and the lingering health hazard.
“I don’t think my people would enjoy looking at that pile for the next year or two,” neighbour Dan Cunningham said.
A legal notice from the City of Vancouver demanded that the developer submit a hazardous materials report to the city by April 18.
“I’ve been on these guys like there’s no tomorrow to the benefit of the entire community. I really do believe it’s a serious health hazard,” Turner added.
One neighbour has been told by the city that there could be some movement on this issue next week.
— With files from Ted Chernecki
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