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1 person rescued as Vancouver fire crews battle back-to-back blazes

Vancouver fire crews at the scene of a house fire in East Vancouver April 5, 2020, one of two fires crews attended this morning. Global News

Vancouver fire crews battled two back-to-back blazes Sunday morning, one of which required the rescue of a man in a wheelchair.

Crews were first called to a commercial building near Main Street and National Avenue around 4:30 a.m. The two-alarm fire had fully engulfed some rooms on the ground floor.

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No one was inside the building at the time the fire broke out, officials said, and no injuries have been reported.

Firefighters were forced to knock down walls of the older wood-frame building in order to tackle the flames.

Around 7 a.m., crews were then called to a home in the area of East 12th Avenue and Clark Drive for another two-alarm fire.

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A wheelchair-bound resident was rescued out of the basement of the three-storey building, and was treated for minor injuries.

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“We had issues with gaining access and in our primary search of the residences,” Vancouver Fire Assistant Chief Dan Stroup said.

Stroup could not say how many people live inside the building. No other injuries were reported.

The cause of both fires is under investigation.

The twin blazes capped off a busy weekend for Vancouver fire crews, who also attended a fire in the 100-block of Water Street Saturday.

Earlier in the week, crews rescued five people from a home in Kitsilano.

Click to play video: 'Fire destroys three Metro Vancouver homes'
Fire destroys three Metro Vancouver homes

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