Officials say it happened at the Empress Hotel, at the intersection of Hastings and Main Street in the heart of the neighborhood, shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday. Deputy Assistant Fire Chief Walter Pereira told CBC News that the explosion was most likely caused by a rechargeable battery in one of the SRO building’s suites. “[Crews] “he found a person from the suite in the alley, not responding,” he said. “Since the interrogation of the man’s friend, it was … unfortunate circumstances,” he added. “The person was obviously next to the window, where he was either pushed or fell out of the window and fell to his death from the second floor. Two people were injured in the blast, but the fire was contained to the suite and firefighters were able to put it out, Pereira said. Roads around Main and Hastings were temporarily closed as firefighters responded to the blast, but reopened shortly afterwards. Researchers and civil engineers will be at the scene on Saturday to determine if the hotel is safe for residents in the future. The blaze comes just over a month after a fire at the nearby Winters Hotel in Gastown destroyed the facility, leaving two people dead.
