Fire officials say the blaze was caused by unattended candles in a second-floor unit.
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A devastating fire at a Gastown four-storey rooming house last Monday that left dozens of homeless people has been deemed accidental, according to Vancouver fire officials.
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The Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said Thursday it has completed a preliminary investigation into the fire at 203 Abbott St., and found that it originated in a second-floor unit from unattended candles and has been deemed accidental.
The fire displaced more than 150 residents between the Winters Hotel and the adjacent Gastown Hotel, which is expected to see tenants return once water and smoke damage is mitigated by dehumidifiers and air filtration systems, fire officials said in a news release.
A total of five residents were rescued by firefighters and five were transported to hospital for care.
The fire was first detected by supervisory staff conducting a fire watch. They tried to extinguish the fire but were unsuccessful.
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This building had a previous fire on April 8 in a different unit that was extinguished by the building sprinkler system. At that time, fire crews shut off the sprinklers and issued a notice of violation to have the fire life safety systems serviced. This notice requires a fire watch to be put in place until the fire life safety systems are back in operation.
Tenants displaced by the Winters Hotel fire were moved into a new rooming house Tuesday, a 71-room hotel at 303 Columbia St.
— With files from Sarah Grochowski
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