Downtown Eastside fire puts 60 people out of their homes

A majorfire on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside hasput60 residents out of their homes.

The fire, which grew into a three-alarm blaze, started around 5 a.m. PT Saturday in a four-storey woodframeapartment building near Cordova Street and Dunlevy Avenue next to OppenheimerPark.

At the height of the fire, flames could be seen shooting through the building's roof.

Vancouver Fire Chief John McKearney says, fortunately,no one was seriously injured.

"Thefirst job was to get people out of the building," he said.

"A number of people are non ambulatory so it was a great effort including by citizens in the area to get them out. Fortunately we were able to get them out out to this park."

McKearney says it looks like the fire started in an upper floor suite and spread to the elevator shaft, then up to the roof.

"There's a daylight courtyard.They purposely let it burn through the roof to let it vent. That stopped alot of the horizontal travel."

The fire chief says people will be out of their homes for at least several days. Emergency social services has been called to the scene.

Google Map: E Cordova and Dunlevy Avenue