Stories from Tri-City News headlines of decades past is a recurring feature as the publication approaches its 40th anniversary in 2024.
An early-morning fire in the fall of 1993 killed two people and destroyed the Bel-Air Manor apartment block in Port Coquitlam that was originally built in 1914 as the Terminal Hotel.
The first report of the fire at the old structure that was converted to a shelter for migrant workers when the onset of WWI reduced demand for hotel space in the small city, then became a hospital for flu epidemic victims in 1917, came in at 4 a.m., Oct. 31. By the time it was extinguished, all of Port Coquitlam’s firefighters had been involved at the scene, as well as crews from Coquitlam.
“We’re just grateful that we got out,” one resident told the Tri-City News.
Another said he left behind his false teeth in the scramble to escape.
Some residents had to be rescued by firefighters from the building's roof.
While PoCo Fire Chief Jon Baillie and Coquitlam RCMP wouldn’t immediately confirm the cause of the fire, investigators eventually determined the cause to be arson, as an accelerant had been sprayed in the lobby.
The apartment block was replaced by a new multi-unit structure.
In 2015 Coquitlam RCMP renewed a call for witnesses to come forward as the case remained unsolved.
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives, while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
