Vancouver Fire Rescue Services’ assistant fire chief Ken Gemmill said it was “a gong show” when firefighters arrived at an SRO suite fire Friday night, on East Hastings Street.
When firefighters arrived, the assistant fire chief said several people living in tents and structures out front refused to move.
Firefighters had to call Vancouver police for assistance and had to be extremely careful not to soak or injure the people while battling the blaze.
“It came in as flames and smoke coming out the top floor of a residential, over stores. It was rolling out the window pretty good when we first got here,” said Batt. Chief Mike Anzulovich.
“We were able to knock it down and enter the suite pretty quickly.”
No one was injured in the fire but around a dozen units were damaged.
One bystander witnessed some of the action from the street.
“I saw fire and debris melting, glass falling from the window and a guy was standing under. Someone grabbed him and threw him out of the way,” Micheal Dunford said.
“He had no clue that there was fire falling on his head. It was pretty crazy.”
Investigators believe the blaze started in or around a mattress, but how it began is under investigation.
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