Blaze guts boarded-up home on Alexandra Road
A derelict two-storey house on Alexandra Road was gutted by a fire first spotted by neighbours around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
When fire crews arrived, the house was fully involved, and too dangerous to enter, according to a Richmond Fire-Rescue battalion chief at the scene.
Firefighters cut through a sheet of plywood that covered the front door in order to access the inside of the house and try to keep the blaze in check, and ensure neighbouring homes, property and trees weren't further damaged.
Ted Townsend, spokesperson for the City of Richmond, said the house at 9231 Alexandra Rd. has now been demolished.
Although the house was reported and confirmed to be abandoned, there was evidence that somebody had gained access to the home, and "it was being occupied by transients," Townsend said.
But at the time of the fire, there was nobody inside.
There's no apparent cause to the fire, but the battalion chief who was at the scene believes it will initially be classified as suspicious because it had no power hooked up to it.
A police officer at the scene was seen interviewing a man in dirty, worn clothes near the blaze, between No. 4 Road and Garden City. The investigation is ongoing.
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