The cause of the fire that destroyed the Value Village on Hastings Street in Vancouver Wednesday night remains under investigation.
Firefighters were called to the thrift store on East Hastings Street near Victoria Drive around 10 p.m. and it was already fully engulfed.
“The amount of flames coming out of it did suggest there was a heavy fuel load inside,” Matthew Trudeau, public information officer for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said Thursday.
It turned into a three-alarm blaze with 47 firefighters deployed.
Firefighters remained on the scene Thursday, putting out hot spots and dousing smoke still rising from the rubble.
Three to five people were displaced due to heat and water damage to nearby buildings but Trudeau said they should be able to go back to their homes soon.
“Our crews did an incredible job of getting here quickly, setting up at all four corners, making sure the exposure was protected so it didn’t spread,” he added.
The building did collapse and Trudeau said it was “out of the ordinary” to see such a developed and involved fire even as crews arrived on the scene.
He added there was widespread smoke across the city and advised residents to keep their windows closed.
No injuries have been reported at this time, Trudeau confirmed.