The Nicholson Tower houses about 240 low and moderate income residents
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Sirens, shouts for help and smashing glass echoed across the West End at about 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday as a fire blazed from a sixth-floor apartment inside a unit in the Nicholson Tower at 1115 Nelson St.
Five Vancouver Fire Rescue Service ladder trucks were tackling the blaze, which saw flames pouring out of an apartment and billowing up the side of the building.
“I heard the bell going off and saw the smoke curling up to the sky and began to panic,” said resident Raj Chahal. “It’s good I looked, as a lot of people have a tendency to ignore it, as it often does go off accidentally.
“I’m glad I had the common sense to check as I have breathing issues and many people in the building are elderly.”
As acrid black smoke filled the neighbouring area, residents on the back side of the same floor leaned out their windows pleading for help, as did others up and down the large building.
Fire chiefs on site couldn’t comment on the cause or scope of the blaze, which left black streaks up the side of the front of the tower and caused window blowouts on apartments above, possibly from the heat of the flames.
Residents were still seen hanging out of their windows on the back of the building as firefighters moved their way through.
One resident, who didn’t give a name, said that smoke in the staircases was so bad that they didn’t want to try using them to leave for fear of toxic fumes.
Hours later, Nelson Street was still blocked off as fire crews and police worked to control the site.
While the unit was still ablaze, firefighters used a ladder truck to direct water at the fire to force out smoke, in what they refer to as “hydraulic ventilation.”
As of about 3 p.m., firefighters had reached the floor where the fire was burning and it was knocked down soon after.
The residential 20-storey highrise is operated by the Bloom Group as affordable housing for those at risk of homelessness, providing studio and one-bedroom units for 240 low- and moderate-income residents.