FOG BLOG CANADA NEWS LOG: FIRE TEARS THROUGH ICONIC HOTEL IN DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER!

Several hurt, others missing as fire tears through building in Vancouver's Gastown area...Burning building on Abbott Street sending plumes of smoke across city...........Five people were taken to hospital and others are unaccounted for after a serious fire in the Gastown area of Vancouver on Monday, according to paramedics and Vancouver Fire Rescue Services.

The fire broke out at the four-storey Hotel Winters building on Abbott Street near Water Street around 11 a.m. PT. Within an hour, orange flames had begun shooting through the roof.

Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry said "upwards of a handful" of people who lived in the building were missing, adding people could have been out when the fire started or scattered after fleeing the flames.

According to B.C. Emergency Health Services, five people were taken to hospital, including two in serious condition and one in stable condition. Others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.

Fry said one person was injured after he jumped from a window to escape the blaze..........."We rescued several [people] from the top floor of the building," she added.

The heritage building houses a number of businesses, including The Flying Pig restaurant, Lemongrass House, Nika Design and the Australian Boot Company shoe store.

A single-room occupancy hotel (SRO) is within the upper floors.

"Me and a tenant almost got it out [but] the fire extinguisher went dry. After that, it just continued like [it was burning] a sheet of newspaper," said a front-desk worker in the SRO who identified himself as John.

"It's all I could do after that was run around and get everyone out."..........The chief said firefighters searched the first two floors before they had to retreat. Officials don't know whether anybody else is still trapped inside.

"[It's] very dangerous. The building is 115 years old, most likely, and it's a brick building so we're taking every precaution that we can to keep our firefighters safe. We don't know if there's anybody [left] in the building and we probably won't know that until we get the fire out," Fry said.

Fry says the building had recently been inspected and it had a sprinkler system, but she didn't know if it was working when the fire broke out.