Destructive East Vancouver fire being investigated as suspicious

A third-alarm blaze in East Vancouver is being investigated as suspicious.

A fire that tore through three buildings in East Vancouver Wednesday morning is being investigated as suspicious.

The Vancouver Police Department, in a brief statement, confirmed the Major Crime Section has been called in to investigate.

The blaze broke out around 4 a.m. near the intersection of East Hastings and Nanaimo streets – requiring a sustained effort by 45 firefighters to mitigate the destruction, according to Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.

“On arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke from the back of a building and quickly upgraded the fire to a third alarm fire, due to the number of buildings involved and potential of fire spreading to neighbouring properties,” a statement from VFRS said.

“Thankfully, there were no reports of injuries to occupants as all businesses were closed at the time of the fire and no one was inside the structures.”

Residents across the city reported seeing and smelling smoke, and the fire department urged people to keep their doors and windows closed until the air cleared.

One of the people who smelled the smoke from his home on the West Side of the city was Hall Risk, owner of Dayton Boots. He woke up to messages on his phone telling him his business was burning and immediately drove to the scene.

“This is my life, and it’s just pretty much gone right now,” he told CTV News Wednesday morning, describing the potential loss of the business as “devastating” and “a nightmare.”

The building, which Risk noted boasted “beautiful fir beams,” was purpose-built for the boot shop in 1950. Risk said he was drawn to the business when he took it over 13 years ago because Dayton Boots is an iconic East Vancouver brand with a global reach.

“I don’t know what to say at this point,” he said. “I’m kind of numb right now. This isn’t the way I wanted to wake up this morning – that’s for sure.”