Fire smokes up vintage Vancouver strip club

The Penthouse Night Club's run as a longtime fixture of Vancouver nightlife almost ended in flames overnight.

One of Vancouver's few remaining strip clubs, the Penthouse has been in operation for over 60 years.

Vancouver's Fire and Rescue Services saved the vintage nightclub at 1019 Seymour St. after a fire started in a back room early Wednesday morning.

A police patrol noticed smoke at 4:21 a.m. PT. When firefighters arrived on the scene they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of the building.

Battalion Chief Randy Hebenton said the structure's age made their work difficult.

"It's an old building, [with] a lot of void spaces, doorways and pathways that have been shut or closed, or modified over the years," he said.

The fire, which appeared to have started in a change room on the second floor, was extinguished at around 6 a.m.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services Captain Gabe Roder said there is significant fire and smoke damage to most of the club.

An investigator is on scene attempting to determine the source of the fire, but has stated that the cause appears to be accidental.

A close call for memorabilia

The Penthouse houses a treasure trove of Vancouver celebrity memorabilia, but owner Danny Filippone said it sounded as though the fire didn't reach the goods.

"All of our pictures and our photos were untouched. I asked the chief at the time, and he didn't know what I was talking about, but he assured me none of it got into the nightclub itself."

Filippone, whose family opened the nightclub in 1947, said he expects to be able to re-open in a few weeks.