Fire crews were on scene Thursday morning (April 4) following a blaze that broke out at a Yaletown restaurant on the 1000 block of Hamilton Street.
The fire originated at The Parlour, located at 1011 Hamilton St., confirms Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) public information officer Matthew Trudeau. Firefighters were called to the scene before 9 a.m.
"Crews got access to inside and encountered smoke and flames on the roof and inside the unit as well," says Trudeau.
They were able to knock down the flames he says, which were mostly contained to the ground floor, though some did extend to the roof.
"We did have a lot of water on the roof getting poured into an opening where fire was coming out of," Trudeau says.
Due to the amount of water used at the scene, firefighters remained to try and limit the damage caused by it. Investigators are on scene trying to determine the origin and cause of the fire as well.
"It appears to have started on the first floor and gone up into the roof," says Trudeau, but adds that it's unclear currently whether the fire started in the kitchen or elsewhere.
Damage to The Parlour will be significant he notes, due to the location and how long the fire burned, along with smoke and water damage. However, neighbouring businesses and buildings appear to be okay, though some alarms went off due to the smoke.
Neighbouring restaurant El Guapo, at 1009 Hamilton St., has sustained minor water damage, Trudeau tells V.I.A. One of the owners of El Guapo tells V.I.A. the Mexican restaurant expects to open for business as usual on Thursday.
'Closed until further notice': The Parlour
The Parlour initially shared on its Instagram stories the Yaletown restaurant will be closed "due to unforeseen circumstances." The business shared in the afternnon that it "will be closed until further notice."
"We are currently in the process of reopening as quickly as possible," wrote operators in an Instagram post to The Parlour's account.
The Parlour debuted in Vancouver in January 2013 and swiftly earned a rep as a hangout spot for drinks and casual eats, particularly its pizzas and share plates. Several years later the business expanded to open a Parlour in Toronto.
Trudeau notes that while they did get many calls reporting the fire, that's a good thing.
"It's always helpful to never assume other people are calling," he says. "We'd rather have 20 people call than zero people call assuming someone else did."
"If you see smoke, flames, anything like that, call and just make sure."
With additional reporting by Lindsay William-Ross
