A man’s body was found in the basement of a heritage home in upscale Shaughnessy yesterday following an overnight, three-alarm fire that investigators have deemed arson.
When firefighters arrived at 1518 Laurier Ave. after 9 p.m., the entire house was ensconced in smoke. Flames were seen coming from the basement.
A fire investigator discovered the body in the basement around 3 a.m., several hours after the fire was extinguished.
Const. Lindsey Houghton, a spokesman for Vancouver police, said the man’s identity was not known and added that it would take some time for police to identify him.
He said there was no evidence to suggest the incident was a homicide, but added that it was early in the investigation.
The man’s body was removed from the house at 3 p.m. Houghton said an autopsy would take place in the coming days.
Capt. Gabe Roder, a spokesman for the Vancouver fire department, confirmed that the fire was arson, but said he was not able to disclose what evidence investigators had found.
The house, which is listed for sale at $2.38 million, was the subject of a legal battle several months ago.
“It’s too early to tell if that had anything to do with the fire,” Houghton said. “And any comments to suggest that would be pure speculation at this point.”
