Crane collapses, residents displaced in huge Dunbar area fire

Sponsored by

Good morning,

Nate with you. I was recently watching a video where someone was framing their gossip habit as a community newsletter. This obviously grabbed my attention given my part time profession.

Gossip is a staple of journalistic practice but that word also comes pre-loaded with moral stigma and aspersions, so terms like “tips” and “leads” are used instead. But fundamentally these things function quite similarly, with the journalist’s role being to verify and corroborate that gossip. 

But I loved the idea of gossip functioning like a community newsletter (such as this one), breaking down the who, what, where, when, how, and most importantly, why, of a given situation. 

Much of my thinking about gossip has been informed by the wildly successful podcast “Normal Gossip,” which I would highly recommend to anyone who likes a fun, low-stakes story, or just a good yap. 

And as always, if you have any Vancouver-based gossip you’d like verified, send me an email at [email protected] 😏

With that, let’s get on to the news and events to get your weekend started!

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

WEATHER

Friday: 29 🌡️ 18 | ☀️

Saturday: 27 🌡️ 17 | ☀️

Sunday: 23 🌡️ 16 | 🌤️

Monday: 21 🌡️ 15 | ☁️

FIRES

Crane collapses, residents displaced in huge Dunbar area fire

What happened: A huge fire in the west side neighbourhood of Dunbar consumed a six storey wooden apartment building that was under construction, destroyed two homes, and threatened to ignite at least nine houses in the area of the massive blaze, according to CTV. 

• Firefighters also had to contend with a crane falling onto the burning building, which took out power and trolley bus lines as it fell. A video captured the moment of the crane collapse, as it toppled across 41st Avenue and onto a home on the other side of the street, according to CBC. 

The blaze, which appeared to tower over a nearby grocery store, created “its own kind of firestorm,” Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry said, according to City News.

Neighbourhood impact: All this happened on Tuesday evening near Dunbar St. and 41st Ave. Vancouver Emergency Support Services said it had registered 81 evacuees from the area. As of Thursday afternoon, all residents — with the exception of five homes, which are unsafe to occupy — were able to return home, according to the city. 

• The city directed displaced residents to Crofton House, a nearby girls school, where city staff were able to provide assistance to evacuees. 

The power outage, resulting from the crane collapse, left 1,394 people without power, according to BC Hydro. As of Thursday morning, the utility service’s outage map indicated that power had been restored to the neighbourhood. 

• 40th and 41st Ave. remain closed between Collingwood and Blenheim streets. The crane will likely remain on the road until next week as the investigation into the fire’s cause is ongoing, according to CBC. The city is asking people to avoid the affected area. 

The good news: Luckily, it doesn’t appear that anyone was seriously injured in the fires or the crane collapse. One resident was safely removed out a window of the house hit by the crane, Fry said, adding it was “remarkable” that no one was hurt, according to City News. A few firefighters did sustain minor injuries, Fry said. 

Local reaction: A man living in the area said he and his family had to evacuate after initially going to watch the fire, but soon realized it was a dangerous situation. The streets were packed with people, he told CBC, describing the situation as “crazy,” with elevated temperatures and embers falling everywhere. 

Another Dunbar resident, living on Camosun St. beside Pacific Spirit Park, heard five big explosions between 6 and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, with ash and chunks of charcoal littering yards, houses, and surrounding streets. “It had an apocalyptic feel,” she told Vancity Lookout. 

Another fire: In an unrelated incident, an abandoned apartment building along 10th Ave. at Price Edward St. caught fire again on Tuesday, after a July 2023 fire displaced 70 residents, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

• The same article quoted neighbours who said the owner didn’t properly maintain or monitor the empty building over the past year, which allowed people to squat and otherwise occupy the abandoned space. 

The building owners were already scheduled to be in provincial court later this August, on allegations they failed to protect the damaged building against the risk of another fire, according to CBC. 

• Given the condition of the structure, the city has ordered that it be demolished, and expect it to be done in the next few days, according to a statement from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS). 

Crews redeployed from the Mount Pleasant fire on Tuesday evening to take on the blaze in Dunbar, with upwards of 70 firefighters deployed to the Dunbar fire and the surrounding neighbourhood to stop the spread of burning embers, in what must have been a taxing day for Vancouver’s firefighters and emergency personnel. 

Big picture: VFRS responded to a historic number of calls in 2023. Their 2023 report found that smoking materials remained the leading cause of fire-related incidents.  In both June and July this year VFRS had 24 hour periods where they responded to more than 12 fires — highlighting the increased fire risk, and heightened workload for firefighters during the hot summer season.

SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN VAN

Granville Block Party is taking over the entertainment district this month!

Presented by Downtown Van, Granville Block Party is returning this month! Join us for a vibrant two-day street festival right in the heart of the Entertainment District!

This FREE, fully licensed, inclusive, and family-friendly event will feature an exciting lineup of live music, delicious food, fun games, and more!

WHAT: Granville Block Party  

WHEN: Saturday, August 24th and Sunday, August 25th, from 1 PM - 7 PM 

WHERE: Robson & Granville intersection (700 & 800 blocks)  

FREE TO THE PUBLIC 

Learn more or follow @granvilleblockparty for all the latest updates!

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

⚡ 10,000+: The number of lightning strikes in B.C. over the past week. Lightning has the ability — and the conditions — to start new wildfires in the province, where about 340 fires are already burning. [Vancouver Sun]

💸 $2,761: The average asking price to rent a one bedroom unit in Vancouver, according to data from July. Vancouver and Burnaby have the highest asking rental prices in the country. [Rentals.ca]

ARTS

WISE Hall still in financial trouble despite fundraising successes

What happened: The WISE Hall and Lounge is still in deep trouble, according to their volunteer board. This comes despite raising approximately $70,000 to help their embattled community hub, since putting out the first financial distress call in May.

The details: Since then, the WISE “parted ways” with management in July, citing a lack of consistent record keeping and financial due diligence that’s had a “significant impact” on the arts and cultural centre’s financial and operational health.

• Since parting ways with management, the volunteer board “has learned the full scope of work that wasn’t being done,” including a failure to “stay on top of books and ensure standard operating procedures were in place,” once they reopened following pandemic-related closures. 

These previously unknown issues have shortened the timeline and increased the urgency to save the community hub, according to the board. 

Why it matters: “Since COVID, peoples’ capacities are stretched,” Vanessa Violini, the WISE’s director-at-large and board member, told Vancity Lookout. “They don’t have time, they don’t have money, and without accessible space, they don’t have places to organize and share ideas,” she said. 

• “If people are isolated and they don’t have common spaces where they can go to discuss, to connect, to build and share ideas, then we lose out on another aspect of capacity to make the world a better place,” Violini said, adding that we need these open, accessible spaces to start important conversations about our shared future — ideas that are often expressed through arts and culture.  

Fundraising efforts: The venue has hosted multiple “Save the Wise” concert nights, featuring dozens of local bands who’ve played at the community hall over the years. 

• They’ve also received an endorsement from music journalist genius and local legend Nardwaur, who wrote that the WISE is a “truly irreplaceable space for the Vancouver artistic community.”  

The $70,000 that’s already been raised will help in addressing immediate issues and “pushing toward sustainable operations.” However, those funds represent less than half of the WISE’s $200,000 fundraising goal as they seek to secure financing to manage their debts and continue to grow as an establishment. 

• They’re now seeking volunteers with business and/or financial expertise to come on board to help right the ship. You can also support the WISE through their newly-launched merch store. 

Zoom out: Their situation is part of a broader trend of arts and culture establishments and institutions struggling to secure or maintain funding. One small win was Vancouver city council pledging to fund much-needed upgrades — particularly for accessibility improvements for people with disabilities — at the city-owned Firehall Arts Theatre. 

• The catch is that money won’t come until the 2027 capital plan, although the city council motion also directed staff to “begin work as quickly as possible,” with unused funds, according to Stir.  

THE AGENDA

🏊 Swimmers lined up early on Wednesday morning to get back into Kits Pool for the first time in nearly a year. The pool was supposed to be closed all summer due to structural issues, but the mayor’s office and city council prioritized the issue, including reallocating funding and bringing in outside consultants, which led to an early reopening. [Vancouver Sun, The Tyee]

🙅 Victoria Jung, the chair of Vancouver School Board, has resigned from the ABC party because of the integrity commissioner fallout, and will now serve as an independent. It also echoes the December 2023 defections of the three former ABC park board commissioners. [Twitter, Vancity Lookout]

🌊 A surge of water coming down the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers has “essentially dissipated,” according to the province. The surge was caused by the release of water pent up by last week’s landslide at Farwell Ranch, about 285 km north of Vancouver. The warnings, watches, and advisories for the Fraser have now all been rescinded. [CBC]

🥇 While nearly 90% of Canadians are proud to watch their compatriots compete in the Olympics, a poll by the Angus Reid Institute found more than two-thirds of respondents don’t want to see their community bid to host the games. Those surveyed indicated the cost of hosting this type of event was a primary motivation not to host. This comes as Vancouver and Toronto are set to stage FIFA World Cup matches in 2026 at significant financial cost. [Angus Reid, Global] 

🤬 A dog owner fled from Second Beach after their dog allegedly attacked and killed a much smaller dog near the concession stand. The family of the small dog and onlookers attempted to intervene, even following and recording the fleeing owner as they ran deeper into Stanley Park. The city’s animal services department is working with police to track down the dog’s owner. [Global] 

👀 A B.C. government program to “increase the supply of affordable housing for middle-income earners” is now being “retired” amid controversy that a new building in Kitsilano — which received low-interest loans through the program — is now marketing rental units with asking prices of $2,600 per month for a studio and $4,200 per month for a two-bedroom. [CBC]

🪧 The Vancouver Plan, the city-wide development plan adopted in 2022, undermines the execution and creation of specific neighbourhood plans — particularly in historically marginalized areas like South Vancouver — according to a new study from SFU academics. Lookout Insiders, keep your eyes peeled for in-depth look at Vancouver’s public engagement regime and its impact on various neighbourhoods, coming later this month. [COV, The Tyee]

WEEKEND GUIDE

Vancouver Mural Fest | August 8-11 | Various times and locations | Hit the town for the art, culture, and the Mt. Pleasant street party at City Centre Artist Lodge | Free

Vines Art Festival | August 9-17 | Various times and locations | Vines art society will be taking to Vancouver parks for their 10th annual interdisciplinary series of free events on the theme of art-led land justice | Schedule 

African Descent Festival | August 10 & 11 | English Bay Beach | Hit the beach for a loaded lineup of musicians, celebrating unity and the cultural diversity of people of African descent within Vancouver | Free entry

Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival | August 10, 4 p.m. | Deer Lake Park | An eclectic lineup will be filling the air with soul-stirring melodies and infectious rhythms | Free

Coffin Club Summer Goth Party | August 10, 9 p.m. | The Cobalt | Dance the night away with a wide-range of grunge, punk, and alternative music | Tickets $16

Bard on the Beach | Various days and showtimes | Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park | The annual Shakespeare fest carries on their summer season with performances of Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, and The Comedy of Errors | Tickets $30+

EVO Summer Cinema Series | August 13, 8:30 p.m. | Second Beach Park | Catch Barbie, Ken and the whole gang in an outdoor screening of last summer’s smash hit | Free

The Vegan Night Market | August 15, 6 p.m. | Locarno Beach | Head to the west side for an unforgettable evening at Canada’s premier plant-based market | Free entry

F The Disco | August 17, 4 p.m. | Container Brewing | Discover new music from Vancouver DJs, and maybe even dance a little bit | Tickets $12

R&B Brewing Block Party | August 18, 11 a.m. | 54 E. 4th Ave. | A Brewery Creek block party featuring food trucks, vendors, tattoos, and a bevy of beverages (alcoholic and otherwise) | Free entry

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• A classic summer fun apparatus has reopened in English Bay, which is sure to have you sliding down there at hightide. [Park board]

• The perfect neighbourhood bar probably doesn’t exist. But this one Geoff reviewed this week is pretty close! [Vancity Lookout]

• Like a natural, not too sweet taste in your desserts? This new East Van creamery may have you screaming in delight.  [Georgia Straight]

• Raise your hand if you missed the much-discussed light show earlier this summer (🙋). Well, you may have another chance to catch the display this weekend! [VIA] 

• Does your pup ever get the stray bag fries or a pinch of patty? Now you can order specially for them with this new canine menu. [Georgia Straight]

Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A gorgeous sunset view approaching the ferry dock in Tsawwassen on Wednesday night.

GAME TIME

Well it turns out just showing trees and a road wasn’t enough for most of you in this week’s Vancouver Guesser. Only Carl was able to guess it was Pacific Spirit Park. 

Today’s wordle is the four letter word on everyone’s lips this week. Can you work out what it is?