House under construction catches fire in North Vancouver

More than 20 North Vancouver firefighters were called to a fire at a house under construction, Tuesday night.

It began a little after 11 p.m. in the 200-block of 22nd Street W.

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North Vancouver CityDeputy Fire Chief Bob Schreiner said the fire was called in by a next-door neighbour, who noticed something going on at the house.

"It's a very dark, dead-end street. This is a house that's under construction it's just about completed," said Schreiner.

"First arriving crews reported that they had pretty much full involvement on the first floor. As they went around the building, they could see flames, essentially, through every window."

Fire crews initiallystayed outside the structure, fearing there may be open construction or hazards inside, said Schreiner.

The deputy chief said one of the builders quickly arrived on site, and he was able to help provide information for firefighters.

"He lives very close, just across the back lane and so he responded very quickly when he heard the sirens," said Schreiner.

"Obviously he's quite distraught. This I'm sure is a labour of love for anybody that does this kind of work and to be at this stage it's fairlydevastating for sure."

Schreinersaid the fire appears to besuspicious, though the cause won't be known until the investigator has had a chance to look over the damaged house. He said witnesses reported seeing about a dozen teens fleeing the area before fire crews arrived.

North Vancouver RCMP was on scene with a police dog, and one person had been taken into custody, according to Schreiner.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call North Vancouver RCMP at (604)985-1311, or to contact Crime Stoppers.