Building fire in Vancouver's West End displaces residents

A fire in a Vancouver West End apartment building forced at least30 residents to seek shelter in a transit bus early Saturday morning.

The fire broke out just after 2:00 a.m. PT on the second floor of the three-story building at 1549 Barclay St. All three floors, primarily on the west side of the building, were damaged.

Peter Bridge, with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined but was possibly due to an electrical short in the building's wiring system.

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No residents were trapped in the building, or required rescuing at the scene.

"When they pulled the alarm, everybody hit the street," said Bridge.

Residents then took shelter in a city bus.

"We order the transit bus, and we order emergency services, and then house them on the bus until [city emergency services] find places for them," explained Bridge.

Bridge could not speculate on how long residents will be unable to return to their homes.

One firefighter sustained minor injuries. No residents were hurt during the incident.

With files from G.P. Mendoza