A four-storey steel-frame building under construction in an industrial area of East Vancouver collapsed Wednesday morning during a windstorm.
The Vancouver fire department said there were no injuries in the accident on Commercial Drive at Pandora Street, between Hastings Street and the waterfront.
Spokesman Capt. Rob Jones-Cook said some of the construction workers were on their coffee break when most of the building came down.
There was also a crew of construction workers in the concrete basement of the structure who got out quickly without anyone being hurt.
The steel beams fell into the mains of overhead electrical and trolley lines, said Jones-Cook.
"Our concern at this time is if one of those poles should further let go, this whole network of overhead wires is going to come down, creating quite a problem."
Emergency crews are trying to secure the threatened power lines. Buses are being detoured around the scene of the accident.
Police and fire officials have cordoned off a one-block area to ensure no one gets hurt by the wires.
While there is no word yet on the cause of the collapse, there was some speculation at the scene that the winds gusting up to 100 km/h on Wednesday morning may have played a role.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim
