Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue was on the scene of a house fire on Tuesday afternoon, March 11.
An abandoned house in the 22300 block of St. Anne Avenue, near the junction with 223rd Street, was reported burning at approximately 2 p.m.
The house is boarded up, and it is not the first fire at the address. Neighbours watching firefighters remarked that there had been multiple fires there, and it is known to be used by the street population. The News reported on a fire at the house in January of 2024, where homeless people burned cardboard for a warming fire, and at that point it had been vacant for more than a year.
Fire Chief Dave Samson reported the fire on Tuesday got into a roof space, but was extinguished expediently. Nobody was on scene when firefighters arrived, the cause of the fire is not known, and there was little damage to the structure of the house.
Samson agreed there are more frequent fire calls in that area of the city.
"It's certainly a busy area for us," he said.
If a house or structure is deemed unsafe, the fire department or city can order a demolition permit, Samson explained, but this house has not yet reached that level.
A neighbour reported seeing someone pull the boards off the front door of the residence. Reports of someone breaking into a boarded-up house should be reported to the RCMP non-emergency line, or the city bylaws department, the fire chief recommended.
