People trying to keep warm accidentally set Surrey store on fire, prompting calls for better shelters

A Surrey, B.C. man says his family-owned business was severely damaged by a group of people trying to keep warm overnight by lighting an outdoor fire in February.

Now he's calling on the city to do more to support those without shelter to avoid future incidents.

"The city can do a better job at making both businesses and people feel more secure at night," said Matt Notting, the owner of Ben's Appliances. His grandfather opened the Surrey store in 1962. "We know that we don't have enough resources for people at night."

CBC has reviewed CCTV footage of the fire, which started Feb. 24 behind Notting's store on 104th Avenue. In the video, a group of people can be seen building a fire inside a stack of tires. The tires catch fire and, despite efforts of the people to put it out, the flames spread to the building.

Half of the store was destroyed, and Notting is still working to replace the drywall, ceilings and insulation.

It's not the first time a local business has been scorched by fire from the same cause. On Sept. 23, 2017, the Hockey Shop Source for Sports, located near Surrey Central SkyTrain Station, went up in flames. A person without a fixed address was charged with one count of arson.

Notting says the business community has tried many ways to keep their shops safe, including stepped-up patrols by Surrey RCMP and local by-law officers, and hiring night security guards. But the frequency of these fires have only gone up. 

And in some cases, they make things worse for the city's most vulnerable.

'Just moving the problem'

Kerry Dean, who used to be homeless, says security guards who wake people sleeping on the street and make them move to a different area are not the solution. 

"You'd think they'd be more focused on solving the problem, not just moving the problem, because it's not like the person's going to go home. He's homeless," said Dean.

According to the city's planning and development department, Surrey currently has 1,162 beds for people experiencing homelessness, including temporary and permanent shelter beds, and transition housing.

The B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association counted 644 homeless people in Surrey in 2020, but observers say the current number is likely much higher due to COVID-19 and flooding that displaced people in the Fraser Valley last year.

Keir Macdonald, CEO of Surrey-based charity Phoenix Society which is dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness and addiction, says while the city has made some progress in helping people who are homeless, it has also lost several temporary and modular housing complexes in the past few years.

One example, Macdonald said, is the demolition of 46 temporary housing units for low-income people at Nickerson Place in Whalley.

The city also rejected plans in 2021 for a six-storey affordable housing complex in South Surrey called Harmony Apartments.

"It is incredibly difficult to create those opportunities, to have the land, to have the funding lined up, to actually meet zoning requirements. And then, for whatever reason, for it not to be zoned and approved by city council ... It really is a bit of a slap in the face for those trying desperately to bring forward below-market housing options in this community," Macdonald said. 

A November 2021 report by city staff indicated Surrey needs thousands of below-market units or subsidized housing, but Mayor Doug McCallum and other members of the Safe Surrey Coalition on council sent the report back, calling it too negative.

Dean, who has struggled with addiction since he was 12, says the closure of community kitchens and drop-in centres has broken connections forged among homeless people in the past, worsening metal health problems.

"The opposite of addiction is connection, so people just need to be connected," Dean said.

CBC British Columbia has launched a Surrey bureau to help tell your stories with reporter Kiran Singh. Story ideas and tips can be sent to [email protected].