One person is in hospital and another is unaccounted for, after a three-alarm fire at a house in Vancouver's West End neighbourhood.
Vancouver Fire Battalion Chief Steve Duncan said as many as 13 people may have been living in the house on Broughton Street near Pendrell Street, but only two were home at the time.
One of residents was taken to hospital with minor injuries, but the other refused. All the others were accounted for, except for one person.
"We believe he's at the opera — we're hoping that's the case," said Duncan.
The fire broke out around 8 p.m. Saturday and kept crews busy overnight.
Crews had to rescue one person from a basement suite, before the fire worked its way into the roof. (Susana Da Silva/CBC)
According to BC Assessment, the house was built in 1901.
Duncan said the construction materials used for the home helped the fire spread quickly.
"The fire … just travels right up and into the roof," he said.
"Crews went in the basement and went in the main floor … the fire crept up and over top of us. We pulled them out and went defensive."
Duncan said it was too early to know how the fire started.
Vancouver Fire says there are more than a dozen people living in the house, but only a couple were home when blaze broke out. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)
