Tenants displaced by a massive Burnaby apartment fire in November are concerned looters are targeting their property in the burned-out building.
Security video captured two people breaking into the lobby of Cameray Gardens at 5715 Jersey Ave. seconds before the fire erupted on Nov. 19.
A blinding flash can be seen in the video before the two people flee the scene.
Burnaby RCMP is investigating the incident as arson.
Bijal Patel lived in one of the apartments destroyed by the fire, but from the apartment building next door, where her brother lives, she said she could see her unopened suitcase lying in the rubble.
Tenants haven't been allowed access to that part of the building to retrieve their belongings, according to Patel, but she said she has since noticed her suitcase has been opened.
And a former neighbour in the building has made a complaint to police, after charges showed up on a credit card she had had stored with valuables in the apartment.
Patel said she and her husband lost everything in the fire, including wedding gifts, sentimental memorabilia and jewelry from their January 2024 wedding.
"Due to the collapse of the floor in our unit, we haven't been unable to salvage even a single item," she said.
The strata building's owners are still deciding whether to rebuild the lowrise, which is the subject of a contentious $61-million real estate deal, or tear it down.
In the meantime, Patel and other tenants are caught in limbo.
"This delay is excruciating, as it prolongs our inability to move forward," she said.
After the fire, the building was put behind construction fence and guarded by a security company, but the security guards are now gone, according to Patel.
Tenants at the other section of Cameray Gardens at 3925 Kingsway are also worried.
The fire at the Jersey Avenue section happened just one week before the entire apartment complex was to have been sold, according to an order by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth McDonald.
Some tenants at 3925 Kingsway believe the two are connected, and that has them concerned for their safety, according to Hardik Patel, Bijal Patel's brother, who lives in the Kingsway building.
"If one goes down, I do believe other goes down as well," he told the Burnaby NOW. "I do not feel comfortable. We are actually actively searching for a new place, and not just me."
Patel and her brother are frustrated by the lack of answers, including from police.
"To date, there have been no updates from the police about who is responsible for the fire," Patel said. "As tenants, we are left with no clarity about the investigation and no sense of closure, knowing that the arsonist is still out there."
Burnaby RCMP confirmed it is investigating at least one report of theft from the burned-out building.
"Investigators continue to attempt to identify the suspects in the video that was released by Burnaby RCMP on Nov. 21, 2024," Cpl. Mike Kalanj told the Burnaby NOW in an emailed statement.
The investigation is still open and ongoing, he said.
Cameray Gardens owners voted in February 2022 to wind up the strata and sell the property.
They hired a liquidator, Derek Lai of Crowe MacKay & Company Ltd., who found a buyer, 1038573 BC Ltd., a subsidiary of Belmont Pacific Development Group, but the deal has been the subject of an ongoing court battle.
Justice McDonald ordered the parties to complete the sale on Nov. 26, 2024.
Because of the fire, however, Belmont didn't complete the sale, according to an update on the liquidator's webpage.
Belmont has terminated the agreement and is seeking the return of its deposit, the update said.
Subject to consultation with the owners, the update said the liquidator will now seek a new buyer.
In the meantime, the fire is the subject of an insurance claim by Cameray Gardens and the liquidator, according to the update.
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