Another Burnaby apartment fire has displaced more renters in a city with the third-highest rents in Canada.
Fire broke out in a first-floor suite at Evergreen Place at 6920 Gilley Avenue at about 7:45 p.m. on Dec. 3, according to assistant fire Chief Derek Masaro.
On arrival, crews found smoke and flames coming from the suite, and the building was evacuated, he said.
Paramedics cared for and transported one patient to hospital, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.
“(The suite) was totally destroyed,” Masaro said.
Adjacent suites also sustained smoke and fire damage, he said.
Some residents of the building were able to return after the fire was knocked down, but up to six families (totalling up to 14 people) were displaced, according to Masaro.
He said Burnaby emergency social services was on hand to get them out of the cold and arrange accommodations for up to 72 hours.
The NOW has reached out to the city for more information about the displaced residents and is waiting to hear back.
More than 100 Burnaby renters have been displaced by fires at older lowrise apartments this year.
In August, 4141 Albert Street went up in flames.
Two months later, a second building with the same owner and building manager caught fire at 355 Holdom St.
No residents have been able to return to either building, according to builder manager Nader Pourvazyar.
He said it will take a year to repair the buildings, and residents have had their damage deposits refunded along with a months’ rent.
But finding new rentals will likely be difficult.
Metro Vancouver’s vacancy rate for purpose-built rental apartments decreased from 2.6 per cent to 1.2 per cent in 2021, according to the latest Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) rental market report.
That’s compared to 4.6 per cent in Toronto and three per cent in Montreal.
“Our data shows that lower-income households face significant challenges in finding units that they can afford,” the report said of Metro Vancouver.
Burnaby has also become the third most expensive city in Canada for renters, behind only Vancouver and Toronto, according to Rental.ca rankings released last month.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]
