Fire at Regal Place Hotel displaces dozens of people in downtown Vancouver

Crews have knocked down a two-alarm blaze on the top floor of the Regal Place Hotel at West Hastings and Cambie Street in Vancouver, while 39 residentshave been displaced says the Portland Hotel Society, which manages the social housing units.

"We run another housing project at Woodwards so we have 125 units of social housing right across the street," said Andy Bond with the PHS. "So we brought in a whole bunch of extra staff and we actually set up coffee and food and cots. So we have a big lounge so people can just be warm across the street."

Bond saysmost residents should be able to return home on Saturday, but up to five will be displaced for at least one night and will be placed in other PHS units until they can return home.

He's thanking staff at the Regal who ran through the building alerting residents about the danger and helping them to leave the structure.

Emergency responders were alerted to the fire, on the eighth floor of the building on the 100 block of West Hastings, at around 1:30 p.m. PT Saturday, which they were able to quickly knock down.

A fire investigator has been assigned to determine the cause of the fire, which was contained to the eighthfloor, but caused extensive smoke and water damage.

TransLinkadvised riders the fire would impact service along the3, 8, 16, 14, 19 and20 bus routes anddetailed the following busdetours on their website, effective from 2 p.m. onwards:

• 22 Macdonaldvia Gore, Pender, Burrard, regular route.
• 22 Knight via Burrard, Pender, Gore, regular route.
• 135 Burrard/160 Vancouver via Hastings, Main, Powell, Richards, Hastings regular route.
• 135 SFU/160 PoCOvia Hastings, Seymour, Cordova, Main, Hastings regular route
• 3/8 Downtown via Main, Pender, Columbia, Cordova then regular route - omit downtown
• 19 Stanley Parkvia Main, Pender, Columbia, Cordova then regular route - omit Stanley Park
• 210/211 Vancouver via Powell - Water, Richards, Hastings regular route
• 14 Hastingsvia Granville, Cordova, Main, Hastings regular route

Map of Hastings and Cambie street intersection