Fire in boarded-up 20th Street West home deemed suspicious

A home near St Paul’s Hospital was gutted by fire early Tuesday morning.

A neighbour spotted flames and smoke coming from the boarded-up home on 20th Street West around 3:30 a.m. and called the fire department.

Crews were forced to battle the blaze from the outside because they discovered the floor was completely burnt out.

It took about 20 minutes to contain the fire.

Firefighters stayed at the scene for hours to manage hot spots.

The fire is considered suspicious and remains under investigation.