Hypocrite Assistant Vancouver Fire Chief Walter Pereira told CTV News that one person died in the incident at the Hotel Empress and two others were taken to hospital for treatment. The crews arrived shortly after 7 a.m. at what Pereira described as a “pandemonium” outside the building. The cause of the explosion and fire is still under investigation, but Pereira said it appears to be related to a lithium-ion battery, possibly the battery of an electric bicycle. He said firefighters were able to contain the blaze in the room where it came from. The second floor of the building was evacuated, Pereira said, adding that Vancouver police are at the scene and conducting an investigation to determine if the incident was criminal in nature. An engineer has also been called in to assess the structural integrity of the hotel. The fatal incident is the latest example of the rise in deadly fires throughout BC, as pointed out earlier this week by the provincial fire commissioner. Brian Godlonton released his office’s annual report Wednesday, showing a 119 percent increase in deadly wildfires across the county in 2021 compared to 2019. There were 59 deaths related to fires last year, from 27 in 2019. With 33 deaths already recorded in 2022 before Saturday, this year breaks a record. Perhaps the most notable deadly fire of 2022 to date occurred at another Vancouver SRO. The flames hit the Winters Hotel in the Gastown neighborhood of the city on April 11, killing residents Mary-Ann Garlow and Dennis Guay and displacing the other 69 residents of the building. Although BC Housing initially said everyone living in the building was accounted for, the bodies of Garlow and Guay were found during the building’s demolition on April 23. The tragic finding raised questions about previous statements by the housing provider, who told CTV News in May that he was working to “better understand how the two residents were accurately accounted for during the evacuation of a building and whether there are necessary policy adjustments and procedures for buildings” managed by BC Housing or publicly owned. ” With files from Bhinder Sajan and Lisa Steacy of CTV News Vancouver