VANCOUVER, Wash. — A fire caused significant damage to the crematorium building at the Evergreen Memorial Gardens funeral home in east Vancouver Thursday night.
No one was in the building at the time of the fire, and no one was injured.
Officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Vancouver Fire Department responded to a call Thursday evening at the funeral home on Northeast 112th Avenue and found the crematorium building on fire. They were able to get the blaze under control, but not before the roof began to collapse.
The crematorium is a separate building from the main Evergreen Memorial Gardens' funeral chapel, according to a map posted on the funeral home's website.
Evergreen Memorial Gardens President Lindsay Fisher said she arrived on the scene at around 9 p.m. Thursday, while the crews were in the midst of fighting the fire. Due to the condition of the structure, employees have not yet been able to enter the building to survey the damage.
She said she spent the day reaching out to families that might have been affected.
"Our primary focus is to care for the families who have entrusted their loved ones to us," she said. "For some, we just don't have answers quite yet. We are going to be transparent and let them know — as soon as we have answers, we will let them know."
Fisher also told KGW that the funeral home has received an outpouring of support from neighbors and members of the community.