A massive fire has destroyed a building on East Hastings Street in Vancouver on Wednesday night and firefighters are reporting no injuries.
Brad Hesse, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services says crews arrived on scene at at 1820 East Hastings Street just before 10 p.m. to find a fully involved fire.
More than 45 firefighters rushed towards the large blaze, which could be seen across the city and was giving off a large plume of smoke.
Hasse says it is a third alarm fire and the building collapsed in on itself.
“No report of any injuries,” says Hesse.
A nearby building did sustain some heat damage, but the fire involvement has been contained to the Value Village building.
“The [firefighters] will definitely be tired, we are going to be here for a while,” he says.
The cause of the fire is not clear at this time.
Value Village shared the following statement with Glacier Media Thursday:
We extend our deepest gratitude to the firefighters and first responders and are relieved there are no reports of injuries. Our immediate focus is supporting the well-being of our East Hastings Value Village team members. We are offering employee assistance services for those that wish to participate, and we are seeking both short- and long-term employment opportunities for impacted team members in other Value Village stores.
We are proud that Value Village has served the community of East Vancouver from this location for more than 40 years. We have offered our full support to fire officials as they conduct their investigation into the cause of the fire.
