Vancouver Fire Rescue Services members kept Dunbar residents glued to their seats with vivid descriptions of their extraordinary experiences at the August 2024 Dunbar fire. The session was part of the Dunbar Residents’ Association’s annual general meeting at St. Philip’s Church on Nov. 6.
By Carol Volkart
The 41st and Collingwood fire that shot flames 30 feet into the air, burnt an apartment building, toppled a crane, and sent embers flying around the neighbourhood was as shocking to firefighters as to the Dunbar residents who watched it.
“I’ve never been so overwhelmed in my life,” Keith Stewart, assistant chief of operations for A-platoon, told a discussion of the fire at the Dunbar Residents’ Association’s annual general meeting Nov. 6. “It was one of the hardest events I’ve ever had to do.”
Stewart was one of three members of the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services with close knowledge of the Aug. 6, 2024 Dunbar fire who returned to the neighbourhood 15 months later to talk to residents about how the fire happened, what they experienced and what they learned.
The DRA invited them because of lingering questions and concerns in the neighbourhood about the fire. Those concerns were evident at the start-up sessions of the Neighbourhood Café local discussion group this spring. The Café then followed up with the city and the DRA, which arranged for the fire discussion at its AGM.
Thursday’s meeting confirmed to residents that what happened here was indeed extraordinary, even for seasoned firefighters.
Coming on top of another fire on East 10th that had already drained resources, the Dunbar fire amounted to what Stewart called a “career” fire – one so unusual that it would stand out in the course of a firefighter’s career. “I hope we never have to attend something that large again, in our careers anyway.”
The two speakers who’d been at the fire scene emphasized its speed and intensity, the unprecedented toppling of a crane, the burning insulation material that became floating embers endangering the neighbourhood, and the number of fires that had to be fought at the same time.
“Within two minutes and nine seconds of the [first] truck arriving at the scene, the top two floors of the building were fully involved, which is unheard of,” said Stewart, describing the 20- to 30-foot flames as indicative of a “significant” fire. “Then something happened we’ve never seen happen before” – the fast toppling of the crane. “Never had we thought a crane would collapse in a fire.”
Adding to the drama was the fact that buses, cars and pedestrians had just been in the area where the crane fell, and a firetruck parked there had just moved because of the intense heat. If it hadn’t, “we might have lost some firefighters,” said Robert Weeks, deputy chief of operational support.
Keith Stewart of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, who gave a first-hand account of his experiences at the Dunbar fire, speaks with residents after a presentation to the Dunbar Residents’ Association AGM.
Robert Weeks of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services talks to DRA past president Bruce Gilmour following a presentation to the DRA’s AGM. Weeks, who was at the fire, said his colleagues did an ‘excellent, excellent’ job in a very difficult situation.
Both he and Stewart emphasized how lucky it was that there were no serious casualties or deaths. Even the man whose house the crane collapsed on had just left the room where it hit. He had to be rescued out of a bathroom window, “but we were very lucky we didn’t lose a person,” said Weeks.
The intensity of the heat still seemed amazing to the officers. “To give you an idea of how hot it was, I was standing across the street and my hands were starting to burn so I had to put my gloves on,” said Weeks. Stewart had to move his operations centre further away from the fire because the first location was too hot. And fire crews positioned on their stomachs to avoid the intense heat – unusual for outdoor fires — surprised him by asking for more water – not to fight the fire but for drinking. “I’d never thought about handing out water before.”
The number of simultaneous fires was also unusual. “When I first arrived at the scene, I was on the northwest corner and I counted seven houses that were on fire, not counting the main structure,” said Weeks. Stewart said that in total, blazes had to be fought in nine houses to the north of the apartment fire. “That was why it was overwhelming.”
Which led to another uncommon event – the decision to call other fire departments for help for the first time since the 1994 Stanley Cup riot.
“It was a very very busy day for us,” said Weeks, pointing to the East 10th fire earlier that afternoon. “Our resources were completely drained, so we made a decision very quickly to ask for mutual aid.” Burnaby was unable to help because of an incompatible communications system, but Richmond sent three firetrucks. Their crews helped put out spot fires popping up in the neighbourhood because of the flying embers.
For all the extraordinary aspects of the fire itself, nothing preceding it gave a hint of the disaster to come. Six-storey wood-frame apartment buildings like the one at 41st and Collingwood “became very popular very quickly” after Vancouver allowed them in 2010, and they’re all over the city, Dave Meers, deputy chief of community safety and risk reduction, told the meeting.
Dave Meers, deputy chief of community safety and risk reduction with the VFRS, said the increasingly popular six-storey wood-frame buildings are vulnerable while under construction.
While they’re quite safe once completed, they’re vulnerable during construction without the sprinklers, cladding and other elements that protect against fire, he said. To mitigate this, they must have a fire construction safety plan, protection for adjacent buildings, a standpipe, and security personnel on site – all of which the 41st building had.
“They had pretty much everything they could do to make that building as safe as it could be at the time; unfortunately the fire still happened,” said Meers. The only thing not in the plan was the insulation material stacked on the roof in preparation for installation; it was chunks of that material that created the embers that flew around the neighbourhood, sparking more fires.
Nor did anything seem amiss the day of the fire, Meers said. The site supervisor walked through the whole building, unplugged anything still plugged in and sent home any workers who were still there, Meers said. “He saw nothing.” When the security guard arrived after the site was closed for the day, he looked up and saw smoke.
Despite an intensive investigation, the cause of the fire remains a mystery. Meers said the fire investigator talked to everyone at the site that day and came up with three theories, all unproven. One was that it was started by spray foam insulation, another by drilling, and another that it originated in a suite. “Really, it was inconclusive; the cause of the fire was undetermined.”
When an audience member asked what can be done to prevent another fire like this happening, given the number of similar buildings going up, Meers said there are 19 inspectors and 23,000 inspectable buildings. He said a couple of the inspectors on the east side, where more such buildings are going up, are dedicated to inspecting six-floor wood-frame buildings.
Meers said changes could be made to prevent the roof-storage of insulation material that turned into dangerous embers. And Woods said the fire service is now far more conscious of the risk of crane collapses and evacuating wider areas around them. It’s also become a teaching point in the fire service.
The speakers all emphasized that despite the seriousness of the fire, the worst did not happen. Nobody died, only two buildings beside the apartment building burned down, and despite the embers, no blaze erupted in Pacific Spirit Park. “Everyone did a good job,” said Stewart. “I’m proud of what we did.”
He said the geographic location of 21 fire stations throughout the city means residents can be confident that if they call, firetrucks will arrive, usually in under six minutes. In this case, it was under three minutes after the fire was called in.
And if a fire erupts in Pacific Spirit Park – a concern raised by audience members – the fire service will be on the scene quickly to put barricades between the fire and people’s homes, the officers said. Woods said that if a forest caught, the BC Wildfire service response is based on risk, and given the population density in Vancouver, “it would be a very, very fast response.”
Asked about the explosions that startled those nearby during the fire, Stewart said there were propane cylinders on the site “and we’re confident propane cylinders were exploding . . .it’s freaky when you hear those things go off.”
Audience members prefaced many questions with appreciative comments for the fire service. “It’s incredible what you did,” said Brian Palmquist before asking what was being done to prepare for predictions of higher winds in future, which would have made a fire like this much worse.
Stewart replied that if wind was a factor, there would be crews downwind who would be asked to report back. In future, better communication tools will also mean the fire service can put out alerts and warn residents to close their windows and spray down their property, he said.
What can residents do themselves to improve fire safety? Meeting organizer Colleen McGuinness closed out the meeting with that question, but first complimented the fire service guests for an “absolutely compelling” presentation. Nobody left early, she pointed out: “Everybody is still glued to their seats.”
Meers was ready with a list of suggestions: Choosing non-combustible cladding, avoiding cedar shake roofs and bark mulch, keeping eavestroughs clean, planting deciduous trees instead of conifers, pruning trees that are near the house, and keeping firewood and detritus away from the house.
He also noted there’s plenty of information online, including at the government’s FireSmart BC site.
I got this booklet from Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Services, but you can get the same information from FireSmart BC online. Go to https://firesmartbc.ca/
Thank you, Carol, for another fantastic article. You really are the unofficial reporter of Dunbar. It was an excellent meeting. We have so much to be grateful for. The outcome of the fire could have been tragic in so many ways. Our fire departments and the outstanding courage and dedication of the firefighters saved our neighbourhood. The audience was riveted to the descriptions and asked excellent questions. Thank you to the DRA for organizing this very informative event.
Quoting with appreciation and awe:
“The intensity of the heat still seemed amazing to the officers. “To give you an idea of how hot it was, I was standing across the street and my hands were starting to burn so I had to put my gloves on,” said Weeks. Stewart had to move his operations centre further away from the fire because the first location was too hot. And fire crews positioned on their stomachs to avoid the intense heat – unusual for outdoor fires — surprised him by asking for more water – not to fight the fire but for drinking. “I’d never thought about handing out water before.”
The number of simultaneous fires was also unusual. “When I first arrived at the scene, I was on the northwest corner and I counted seven houses that were on fire, not counting the main structure,” said Weeks. Stewart said that in total, blazes had to be fought in nine houses to the north of the apartment fire. “That was why it was overwhelming.”
Which led to another uncommon event – the decision to call other fire departments for help for the first time since the 1994 Stanley Cup riot.”
— November 2025 follow up https://dunbarnews.ca/dunbar-blaze-shocked-firefighters-too/