Firefighters were called to Silverlynn Apartments on East 27th Street shortly after 6 a.m., following reports of smoke and flames from two third-floor units.
A resident has died in a fire at a housing complex for seniors in Lynn Valley, the North Vancouver RCMP has confirmed, and dozens of seniors have been displaced from their homes.
North Vancouver District Rescue and Fire crews were called to Silverlynn Apartments on East 27th Street shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday (May 31) after reports of smoke and flames from two units were reported. from the third floor.
“Despite the heroic efforts of firefighters and other lifeguards, unfortunately we are now in the early stages of an investigation, in collaboration with the BC Forensic Service, into the death of a person,” the sergeant said. Peter DeVries, spokesman for the RCMP in North Vancouver, said in a statement.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the North Vancouver RCMP was investigating the death to determine if there was any crime. Firefighters had also backed the RCMP and began work to determine the cause of the deadly fire.
The building has 82 units subsidized by BC Housing, 71 of which were occupied at the time, said Fire Chief Deputy Wayne Kennedy.
“Obviously we had a lot of people and occupants to deal with in terms of evacuating the building, so a lot of our workforce was concerned with moving people to a safer place while others teams were in charge of the fire in both units, ”he said.
It is unclear how long residents will be away from home. Firefighters and insurance professionals will need to investigate the rest of the structure before finding out what repairs are needed and when it will be safe for residents to re-enter.
“We have significant damage to one, if not the two units that were involved in the fire, and obviously we will have some smoke damage to any of the nearby units, and some water damage below. “He said. “Right now, we have emergency services on site that are doing a great job treating all the displaced occupants.”
Emergency support services provide 72 hours of temporary accommodation, clothing and food for people displaced by disasters.
The North Vancouver RCMP crisis response team has also been called to the scene for support.
“This is really a tragedy,” DeVries said. “Fortunately, this community has excellent support to care for those affected by this fire. But today our heart goes out especially to the family and friends of the person who lost his life.”
No details about the victim were released on Tuesday, while the RCMP informed relatives.
The 1979 building is owned and operated by the Lowland Senior Citizens’ Non-Profit Housing Society.
In 2021, residents of the building made public complaints that it had become dilapidated and unsafe. BC Housing later funded the renovations, some of which had already begun.
North Vancouver-Seymour NDP MP Susie Chant said she had kept in touch with residents of the building to see that work was being carried out.
“I’m very sad,” he said. “Without a doubt, our condolences go to the friends and relatives of the deceased … There is a very strong community inside and other people will be distressed. We’ll see if we can do anything to help. “
BC Housing did not respond to a request for comment before the North Shore News deadline on Tuesday.