The fire that damaged several suites in a Langley City apartment building on March 23 started in an empty suite, Langley City Fire Rescue said.
There was no furniture or other possessions in the second-floor unit of the building at 5630 201A St. where the blaze began.
“It makes no sense,” City of Langley Deputy Fire Chief Kelly Gilday said.
“There’s no reason for that fire to start.”
The blaze erupted so fast and was so intense that one resident in a nearby suite could not get out using the hallway and had to be rescued from the second floor by ladder.
The fire was quickly extinguished once fire fighters arrived, but not before burning through the floor and making six units uninhabitable.
Gilday said the fire department is awaiting the results of forensic tests to help determine the cause.
There were no injuries, although two people were taken to hospital with respiratory concerns.
“We were pretty lucky on this one,” Gilday said.
According to B.C. Assessment, the building was constructed in 1964.
It has no sprinklers installed inside.
The apartment and the twin building next door are known as some of the cheapest places to rent in Metro Vancouver, with average rates beginning around $650 per month.
Three of the last five major fires in Langley City are believed to be drug-related, a fire department report to council says.
Two cases were described as a result of the drug lifestyle, while one involved an butane explosion during the manufacturing of hash oil.
In that case, a small child was on the premises when the explosion occurred.
The report listed the five buildings without identifying the specific sites suspected of drug involvement.
– with files from Miranda Gathercole