Two bodies were found during the demolition of a mixed-use building in Vancouver’s Gastown neighborhood, firefighters said.
The Winters Hotel, whose upper floors were used as low-income housing, was considered dangerous after a fire earlier this month.
The demolition of the building began on Thursday, and firefighters confirmed the discovery on Friday.
Initially, crews said they had found one body, but an update on Friday night confirmed the discovery of a second.
It is unclear whether unidentified people died in or after the blaze, and Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry has refused to speculate on the cause of death Friday afternoon.
“Everyone saw the fire,” she said. “It was a very big, aggressive fire and it would definitely be something – if someone is trapped – that will be very difficult to escape.
A day after the April 11 fire, BC Housing officials said no one living in the single-room hotel was unknown, but the damage made it unsafe for firefighters to search parts of the building.
Buildings are usually searched twice for occupants, firefighters said, but in this case the risk is so great that firefighters did not have access to areas on the second floor and above. These were the residential floors of the building.
In the days before its demolition, police were on the scene, trying to stop residents from trying to regain possession, but some people managed to get through the barricades.
At least one person was seen coming down from the upper floors of the building, despite signs and warnings that entry was unsafe.
In a statement from the city, the VFRS said only that the bodies were found during the demolition. Firefighters did not say where they were.
Speaking to reporters the afternoon before the second discovery was announced, Fry said the first body was found on the third floor of the building, on its south side, around 11 a.m.
“Our search is not complete and we have not entered the building,” Fry said at the time.
“To be completely clear, we are not entering the building. We do not enter the building. Everything is in the process of being demolished (a search is underway). “
The crews said they were aware that someone may have been inside and that investigators and the demolition team were cautious about it.
On Thursday, it was reported that the cause of the fire, which displaced dozens of vulnerable residents, was considered accidental.
The investigation revealed that it was caused by unnoticed candles in a block on the second floor, officials said.
The demolition, delayed by residents trying to get inside and by the process of approving the city plan, was halted as a result of the findings.
The demolition will resume on Monday, the VFRS said in a statement.
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