Police and firefighters are investigating an explosion and fire at a one-room hotel near the Hastings intersection and Vancouver’s main streets on Saturday morning.
I.d.as. Chief of the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service Walter Pereira told CTV News that one person had died in the crash at the Empress Hotel and two others had been taken to hospital for treatment.
The crews arrived shortly after 7 a.m. in what Pereira described as a “pandemonium” in front of the building.
The cause of the blast and fire is still being investigated, but Pereira said it appears to be related to a lithium-ion battery, possibly the battery of an electric bicycle.
He said firefighters were able to contain the fire in the room where it originated.
The second floor of the building has been evacuated, Pereira said, adding that Vancouver police were on the scene and conducting an investigation to determine if the incident was criminal in nature.
An engineer was also called to assess the structural integrity of the hotel.
The deadly incident is the latest example of an increase in deadly fires in British Columbia, highlighted earlier this week by the provincial commissioner for fire services.
Brian Godlonton published his office’s annual report on Wednesday, showing a 119 percent increase in fatal fires across the province in 2021 compared to 2019.
Last year, there were 59 fire-related deaths, compared to 27 in 2019. With 33 deaths already registered in 2022 before Saturday, this year is at a pace to break records.
Perhaps the most significant deadly fire of 2022 to date occurred at another Vancouver SRO.
The blaze shook the Winters Hotel in the Gastown district on April 11, killing residents Mary-Ann Garlow and Dennis Guay and displacing the other 69 residents of the building.
Although BC Housing initially said everyone living in the building was counted, the bodies of Garlow and Guay were found during the demolition of the building on April 23.
The tragic discovery raised questions about earlier statements by the housing provider, who told CTV News in May that he was working to “better understand how the two occupants were misreported during the evacuation of the building and whether there were any necessary adjustments. the policy and procedures for buildings managed or operated by BC Housing. ”
With files from Bhinder Sajan and Lisa Steacy from Vancouver from CTV News
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