Firefighter hospitalized after fire in vacant building in East Vancouver

Firefighters are pictured at the scene of a blaze in a vacant building in East Vancouver on Sunday, April 26. (CTV News)

A firefighter was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after responding to a blaze in a vacant building in East Vancouver Sunday afternoon.

Crews were called to an abandoned structure—formerly a BMO branch—at East Hastings and Kamloops streets around 1:40 p.m., Vancouver Fire Rescue Services Asst. Chief Arnie Groenewegen told CTV News.

Firefighters had difficulty finding access to the boarded up building, but once inside they were able to quickly douse the fire, he said.

The fire was contained to a pile of garbage on the second floor and the building itself didn’t burn, according to VFRS.

Nobody was inside the building at the time and there were no reported civilian injuries.

The fire is being investigated as suspicious and illegal activity is suspected, as it occurred in a vacant building.