Fire at Vancouver heritage building displaces 6 people

The blaze broke out in the Depencier House, one of the city’s oldest buildings, which also houses a restaurant.

Flames erupted in a more-than-130-year-old building in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood on Wednesday night, causing significant damage.

It happened just after 8 p.m. at the DePencier House on 151 E. 8th Ave., a heritage home that is recognized as one of the oldest single-family homes in the city.

One resident told CTV News the fire broke out on the third floor of the building, where flames and smoke could be seen blowing out of the windows.

One primary care ambulance was sent to the scene, but nobody required a trip to the hospital.

The fire was contained to a single room, but the resulting damage to the building displaced six residents.

“Certainly, the people on the third floor of the structure won’t be going back,” said Greg Smith, acting assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.

Italian restaurant Osteria Otto, which had just opened its doors on the first floor of the building at the end of last year, was open at the time of the fire.

In a post to its Instagram account, the restaurant said: “The team and everyone is safe. We appreciate all your messages. At the moment the team is processing what’s next. Otto is closed until further notice.”

The cause of the fire is still unknown and remains under investigation.