SRO owner says City of Vancouver failed to act before Powell Street fire

The owner of a private single room occupancy (SRO) hotel on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside claims a fire earlier this week at a former SRO next door could have been prevented if the city had acted earlier on concerns over the vacant building.

Tuesday’s fire at 568 Powell Street spread into two neighbouring buildings, damaging a restaurant and displacing people.

In August 2022, a fire broke out at the same building when it was a privately run SRO, displacing 59 people.

Bob Fontaine, who owns 566 Powell Street, said the building has since been empty and occupied by squatters.

He said he warned the city multiple times that it was a fire hazard and claims the owner received an insurance payout, but did not demolish the building even though it wasn’t repairable.

“I asked him why he’s not tearing it down and he said, well, I was never forced to tear it down, so the insurance wouldn’t pay me to tear it down,” Fontaine said.

“They paid him for the structure itself but not to tear it down, so it’s sat derelict for four years now.”

The City of Vancouver did not make anyone available for an interview on Thursday.

When asked why the building was not torn down after the August 2022 fire, the city did not provide an answer, citing an active investigation.

The Vancouver Firefighters Union says vacant buildings in the Downtown Eastside area are a known hazard for members and the community and when they sit empty and unsecured, it is not a question of if they burn; it is when.