The Vancouver Fire Rescue Service says the first half of 2023 has been a record-breaking period for fire-related incidents in the city, with alarming numbers of calls involving drug users and butane torches with flame-locking mechanisms.
Fire information officer Matthew Trudeau says the service responded to 2,113 calls in the first half of the year, the most in the service’s history for the same period and a 31 percent increase compared to the first half of 2022.
