A three-alarm fire tore through two South Vancouver homes Wednesday afternoon.
The Vancouver Fire Department was called to Columbia Street near 62nd Avenue around 4:30 p.m.
“Crews encountered a fully engaged structure in the back of the building, which in turn trapped the second house,” Assistant Chief Walter Pereira told CTV News.
Pereira said all occupants of both homes got out safely, but both properties sustained significant damage.
The department said it is not yet known what caused the fire, but neighbors have their suspicions.
“They heard three really big bangs in the back of the house where the fire started,” said Polly Batt, whose parents own and live in the second home that caught fire.
Bath says the house next door has long been a problem as people live illegally in the port.
“That’s where they heard the crash, that’s where my nephews think that’s where they saw the flames coming from in the first place, was from the carport where all those people were,” Batt said.
Batt, as well as several other nearby residents, told CTV News that they called the police repeatedly to complain about the home, but nothing was done about it.
“It’s been a really uncomfortable situation for a very long time for our family,” Batt said.
Witnesses said they saw the occupants of that home being questioned by Vancouver police at the scene. The department has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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