When Vancouver's fire chief last month ordered the immediate removal of construction from a growing sidewalk tent street on theDowntown East Side, it was the biggest fear last month. was. Early on Saturday, it came true.
In front of the Brandy's Hotel SRO, around 6 a.m. East He along his 100 blocks on Hastings Street, a tent caught fire.
"There are about 180 He to 200 He lives here, and it's too close together," said resident Kevin Purdy. "That's what the fire chief said."
Read More: Vancouver fire chief calls DTES tent city
On Saturday morning, who has been cleaning up the Brandis Hotel for the past eight years? were cleaning up the remains of their burned possessions.
"It was just a big explosion, smoke and a swarm of firefighters," said Justin Chipman, who heard the fire from the room. "It could have blown the brood out for the kingdom to come."
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Chipman said, He suspects a propane tank in the tent may have ignited the blast he heard.
READ MORE: Despite Deadline, Hastings Street Tent City Remains Unscathed
According to Rescue Services, the cause is under investigation and it's unclear whether propane, butane, or other flammable materials were involved.
"There was no one in that tent. As far as I could tell, it was literally piled full of garbage," Chipman said. "It was a litter-filled tent left to burn." Having already been evicted by two major building fires, he and other residents want action to make the area safe for all.
"It's a ticking time bomb here," Purdy told Global News on Saturday.
Read more: Downtown East Side tent removal postponed as city seeks storage
If Vancouver Fires, Mayor Karen Fry issued an order on July 25 to immediately remove tents and structures from the East Hastings neighborhood near Main Street, saying that a potential fire was "
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On April 11, a major fire at the Winters Hotel in Gastown killed two people and forced dozens of SRO residents to evacuate.
Two months later, a battery overload caused an explosion at the Empress Hotel SRO on the 200 block of East He Stings, killing a man.
On July 6, a fire destroyed his two-story building adjacent to Street Church in 100 blocks of East Hastings.
"If this continues, it can really get out of hand," Purdy said.
Purdy said the recent growth of sidewalk tent cities has raised safety concerns, including fires and violence.
"My elderly friend got kicked because he didn't have room to move his wheelchair," he told Global His News. "A 70-year-old man in a wheelchair doesn't need to be beaten when he's homeless and trying to survive." He said they are doing their best to remove and keep the sidewalks clean, but ongoing issues need to be resolved.
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"Sorry campers, but we need to have a better place than sidewalks," Purdy said. Told.
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