Gastown fire victim was a dedicated mother who helped others in community, niece says

The niece of one of the victims of the Winters Hotel fire in Vancouver says her aunt was a dedicated mother who helped others in the Downtown Eastside community.

Mary Ann Garlow, 62, died in theApril 11fire that quickly consumed the building at Abbott and Water streets.

Misty Fredericks, who never got the chance to meet her aunt, says she has learned through other building tenants that Garlow was a "very gentle, soft-spoken woman who had a sense of humour."

Fredericks says it's important for her to share stories about Garlow's life so that her legacy is not forgotten.

"My aunty's life mattered," Fredericks said. "It's absolutely horrifying.There are so many questions that arise from this fire."

On Friday, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services confirmed two bodies had been found during the demolition of the hotel.

"This is a very tragic situation ... these are some of the most at-risk people in our community," said Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fryon Friday. "It was a very large, aggressive fire and it would definitelyhave been difficult for someone who was trapped to escape."

Fredericks says Garlow was a member of theOneida Nation from Six Nations of the Grand Riverin Ontario, and thatshe was a residential school survivor who moved to Vancouver in her twenties.Fredericks said her aunt was known for giving people in the Downtown Eastsidefood, clothes and support.

She says before moving into the Winters Hotel, Garlow was a resident of the Balmoral Hotel.

Fredericks says Garlow has a son with disabilities named Johnny who lived with her his entire life. She says heescaped the fire, but remains in hospital with injuries.

"I can imagine he's distraught [and] traumatized," she said. Fredericks hopes to visit him soon.

Unattended candles started blaze, say fire rescue

Officials said the fire was started accidentally by unattended candles in a second-floor suite. More than 70 residents living in the single-room occupancy (SRO) housing have been displaced.The four-storey brick building also housed several businesses and a restaurant on the ground floor.

Another 73 tenants of the Gastown Hotel, an SRO next to the Winters Hotel, have also had to leave their suites until further notice because of smoke damage.

Fire officialssaid the sprinkler system in the Winters Hotel was shut down and waiting to be serviced on April 11 due to another fire in the building a few days earlier.

Frederickssays she wonders whether thefire could have been extinguished if the sprinklers had been working.

CBC News has not been able to identify the other victim of the fire.