Firefighters rule out foul play, call fatal East Vancouver fire ‘accidental’

A house fire in East Vancouver that claimed the life of a middle-aged man was accidental, according to Vancouver firefighters.

Assistant fire chief David Boone said police and fire investigators are still trying to determine how the blaze broke out but said that they had ruled out any malicious intent.

“We’ve ruled out any foul play here,” he said. “It has been determined to be accidental.”

The victim, who was a tenant in the home on East 3rd Avenue near Skeena Street, has not been identified. The tragedy marks Vancouver’s sixth fire death of the year.

Firefighters were called to a reported garage fire at the home just before 9 a.m. on Tuesday and arrived to find the two-storey Vancouver special house with smoke pouring out of both levels.

WATCH: Fire crews hard at work putting out flames at Skeena St. and 3rd Ave.

2:09 Fire crews hard at work putting out flames at Skeena St. and 3rd Ave.

The fire was upgraded to a two-alarm call, and 37 firefighters were able to prevent it from spreading by putting the flames down.

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All of the residents from the main unit escaped, but it wasn’t until the fire had been knocked down that crews discovered the victim in the secondary unit.

“There was no intel upon arrival of the first-in crews that there was anyone in the house, that there was a trapped occupant,” said Boone.

“So crews did not locate the deceased until they completed their primary search. Due to the nature of the fire and the fact that it was fully involved upon arrival, crews were unable to access the house until they knocked the fire down.”

The home was badly damaged by smoke and flames.

WATCH: ‘A working smoke alarm saves lives’: Vancouver fire chief

0:40 ‘A working smoke alarm saves lives’: Vancouver fire chief

Boone would not confirm if there were working smoke alarms in the house but renewed a call to the public to ensure such devices are always installed and working properly.

“We would like to remind you all, all the citizens, to never leave cooking unattended and to have working smoke alarms and working carbon monoxide alarms and extinguishers in an accessible spot in the kitchen and to have an escape plan if a fire should occur in your residence,” Boone said.

Boone added that a number of recent fire deaths have been linked to a lack of working smoke detectors. He said that, in cases where a home is subdivided into multiple units, the smoke alarms should be linked so that a fire in one unit sets off alarms in all of the other units.

Back in January 2017, a toddler was killed in a fire in another East Vancouver home that officials said did not have working smoke alarms.

Boone said the investigation into the fire is expected to take “some time.”

Vancouver residents can call 311 at any time to have a free fire inspection of their home and get a free smoke alarm if necessary.