Homeless woman dies in fire

Police say candle flame led to burning death inside cart

jeff hodson/metro vancouver

A man walks his dog past a charred wall on Davie Street at Hornby Street yesterday, where a 47-year-old homeless woman died trying to keep warm Friday.

Published: December 22, 2008 5:38 a.m.

Last modified: December 22, 2008 1:41 a.m.

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For the second time in a year, a homeless person has burned to death trying to keep warm in frigid winter weather on Vancouver’s streets.

On Friday morning, a 47-year-old homeless woman named Tracey died when the cart she was sheltering in caught fire from a candle that she was using for warmth.

Temperatures dropped that night to about -10 C, said Vancouver Police Const. Jana McGuinness. Police officers had checked on Tracey three times that night and had offered shelter, which she refused.

“The officer that checked her last had a conversation with her,” McGuinness said in a release. “(He) offered her a small comfort in the form of a cigarette and lent her his lighter when she asked to borrow it to light a candle.”

According to police, the woman came to Vancouver from Abbotsford, where she had lived on the streets for a number of years.

In January, a homeless man named Darrell Mickasko died in Kitsilano when his clothing caught fire from a portable camping stove.

Mayor Gregor Robertson, who cited Mickasko’s death as his reason for running in February when he announced he was seeking the Vision Vancouver nomination, said he is working to remove barriers to shelters for people with carts or pets.