Maple Ridge firefighters are on the scene of a house fire Thursday morning near the downtown.
An abandoned house at the corner of 122nd Avenue and 223rd Street was badly damaged by the blaze, but nobody appears to have been inside when the fire broke out, said deputy fire chief Michael Van Dop.
“It’s pretty significantly damaged. It had quite a bit if fire inside of the attic space,” he said.
The fire call came at about 7:30 a.m.
He said firefighters determined there was nobody inside, had the fire under control, and were soon inspecting the house wearing breathing apparatus. Smoke continued to billow out of the roof at 8:30 a.m.
The cause of the fire is unknown, and both gas and electrical service to the house had been turned off.
“We do know this house has been vacated. The windows and doors have been boarded,” he said.
“It could be squatter activity. The house is in a state of disrepair throughout.”
A neighbour said the house had been frequented by homeless people.
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