No one has been injured, but two structures have been badly damaged by fires in Vancouver and Surrey late on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning.
Smoke and flames billowed from the historic First Avenue Plant warehouse near Olympic Village on Tuesday night, requiring both aerial and ground attacks by Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.
No one was in the building at the time and no one was injured.
“This building is one of the older warehouses in Vancouver,” acting Assistant Chief of Operations Al Gregory told Global News.
“There’s a lot of heavy timber construction inside as well as metal beam supports, so these can be somewhat challenging depending on how long the fire has been going.”
He estimated damage from the blaze is in the tens of thousands of dollars. The cause remains under investigation, he added.
On Wednesday, another fire broke out at a carport at a home in Surrey on Semiahmoo Road near Old Yale Road. One resident of the home was able to leave unscathed.
Sixteen firefighters responded and were able to save surrounding homes from damage as well, according to Surrey Fire Service Assistant Chief Richard Bodnark. There was no car in the garage at the time.
“I have to give credit to our commanding officer, he actually sent a secondary unit to the alleyway and at that point, they were able to contain the fire and extinguish any exposure,” he explained.
“There was no exposure damage, there was no extension outside of just the carport.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation as well, Bodnark said.
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