Propane torches used by rooftop renovators caused a fire at a commercial block in Edgemont Village on Monday night, resulting in water damage to two businesses.
Curtis Bremner, assistant fire chief with the District of North Vancouver, said roofers had been hired by the property manager to prevent roof leaks and used propane torches in the process.
"You use a propane fire torch to heat up the roofing material so it bonds effectively to the other material and creates the water proof membrane," said Bremner.
"So when you apply heat at an old building, and you're not carefully watching it for a period of time, this sort of thing may happen."
The fire affected businesses in the 3107 to 3109 Edgemont Boulevard, including Capilano Barber and Edgemont Gourmet Meats.
The fire was spotted at around 6 p.m. Monday evening.
"The fire started near the base of the parapet wall and progressed up the parapet wall for about 20 feet on either side," said Bremner.
"So there's significant damage to that structure."
The firefighters opened up the roof and a few of the parapet's walls and extinguished the fire quickly, said Bremner. However, in the process of extinguishing the fire and checking to see if the fire had spread elsewhere, Bremner said some minor water and foam damage had occurred to businesses below.
Bremner said that the age of the building contributed to the spread of the fire and warned that workers need to be more cautious around older structures.
"When you're using heat around an old structure, extra care must be taken to prevent fire. It's a very old, very dry building, and you're applying a flame to it as part of your repair process," said Bremner.
"So don't leave the site until you're absolutely certain that there is no fire."
