Photo: Franke James / Twitter
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said Friday that a body had been found at the Winters Hotel, which caught fire on April 11 and was demolished this week.
UPDATE at 6:25 p.m.
Two bodies have been found in the ruins of the Winters Hotel in Vancouver’s Gastown neighborhood.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said earlier Friday afternoon that a body had been found during the demolition of the low-income hotel.
A second body is said to have been found since then.
In the days following the April 11 fire, the property manager said all residents were believed to have fled.
A statement from the fire department, which did not identify the victims, said the demolition of the building had been halted until Monday.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services say the fire was accidental and began on the second floor of the building unattended by candlelight.
Five people were also injured in the blaze, including one the fire chief said jumped from an upstairs window to escape.
The Canadian press
ORIGINAL 16:30
A body was found among the ruins of the Winters Hotel with a single room in Gastown, which was devastated by a fire on April 11.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services announced the discovery on Friday in a press release.
“Through the process, investigators and the demolition team were aware that people may be in the building and acted with appropriate precautions and care,” the statement said.
“Usually in case of fire, firefighters perform a primary and secondary search of occupants. Given that the fire of 203 Abbott St. is a defensive attack, firefighters conducted an initial search, exited the building and fought the fire outside. “
The fire department said the fire was too extensive and the situation was considered too dangerous to allow firefighters to enter areas on the second floor of the building – where the fire originated – meaning “all clear” has not been determined.
Unintentional fire
The Vancouver Police Department is investigating with the BC Coroners Service.
“The demolition of buildings will be resumed after a full clean-up is provided by the BC Forensic Specialists Office,” the statement said. “We appreciate the media’s avoidance of the scene out of respect for the deceased.”
The fire department said Thursday that the fire was found to be accidental and caused by unsupervised candles.
The four-story building from 1907 was found to be structurally unhealthy and was ordered to be demolished by the city’s chief of staff the day after the fire.
The demolition of the building began on Thursday.
Janice Abbott, CEO of Atira Property Management, told Vancouver Is Awesome earlier this week that all 71 Winters tenants had been reported and housing provided. Atyra manages the building, which is owned by Peter Plet.
Firefighters rescued six people from the burning building, which also housed seven businesses on the ground floor.
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