The Day After the Fire

The blackened skeletal frame of the building was left

This morning the area where the massive fire erupted last night was still cordoned off, with firefighters still on the scene, putting out any smouldering fires, while BC Hydro crews worked overnight and into the morning to restore electricity to a few hundred people.

Bits of burnt embers spread far

The crane that had collapsed in the fire was still lying on the street this morning so traffic was diverted for most of the day, while 81 people who were evacuated had to spend the night at the nearby Crofton House School. Even though some people's homes were not damaged by the fire, firefighters deemed them unsafe to return just yet, though they were able to go in and retrieve some essentials and stay in a hotel.

Meanwhile British Columbia work regulator Work Safe BC was at the site of the fire to investigate how the blaze happened and their work is ongoing.

After I returned from a lunch appointment downtown, I walked around the neighbourhood to see how far the embers had spread. I could still see bits of black burnt out embers on the ground as far as 27th Avenue and Camosun, near St George's School. 

One person near the school reported 10 holes in their deck from the fiery embers!

Another neighbour wondered if these black embers were safe to just dispose of because to him (a retired engineer), they looked like burnt out chunks of foam insulation...

Embers across the street on 34th Ave

Health concerns were the last things on people's minds... people were more concerned what had happened and what was going to happen to the construction site. It was confirmed the gas lines had been installed, which explains the large explosions, but other than that it may take days or weeks to find out how it all started...