An elderly woman is dead and seven others are in hospital after a house fire in Fleetwood early Thursday morning.
The fire broke out at about 3 a.m. and the upstairs of the split-level Surrey home at 8860 146A St. was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived.
The home’s upper floor was gutted by fire, with a front plate-glass window blown out and interior walls completely charred. A sign on the building advertises a daycare, but neighbours don’t believe there was one operating in the home.
The body of an adult female was found inside after the blaze was contained.
Two people have reportedly been released from hospital, while two remain in the burn unit at Vancouver General Hospital. The condition of the others is unknown. One of the injured is a child.
Neighbour Kimberly McDowell said her father awoke to the sound of the blaze and asked her to call 9-1-1, while he ran across the street to help evacuate the home.
She said the male resident of a downstairs suite also helped evacuate the people upstairs.
The cause of the blaze remains unclear, but investigators say it is not considered suspicious.
