Vacant Vancouver Apartment Catches Fire Again

Another fire has broken out in a vacant apartment building in Vancouver, and it’s the second time in just over a year. This incident happened on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 414 E. 10th Avenue. Firefighters were called to the scene around 4:30 PM and found heavy black smoke and flames coming from the building.

Keith Stewart, Assistant Chief with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, said that when they arrived, the whole third floor was ablaze. Thankfully, there haven’t been any injuries reported, and firefighters managed to contain the blaze to the building itself.

Stewart mentioned that this building has a bit of a troubling history; it was previously gutted by a fire almost exactly a year ago, which displaced a number of tenants. That fire led to people talking about the safety and lack of action on the city’s part regarding the vacant building.

Residents nearby were advised to close their windows and doors to keep smoke out, while the fire department took measures to control the flames. The cause of this latest fire hasn’t been determined yet, but the building has faced several firefighting attempts over the past year.

Local neighbor Rob Vucci expressed his frustration about the situation, feeling that the city should have been more proactive in dealing with the building’s safety to prevent these repeated incidents.