Firefighters look on after battling a three-alarm fire in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday. No one was hurt but the blaze levelled five businesses in a heritage area. “The damage will be extensive,” said Vancouver assistant fire chief Wade Peirlot. “We had the whole roof cave in so this building will probably be a total loss by the time we are finished.” Flames broke out just before 4 a.m. Thursday morning at the corner of Main Street and Broadway, the intersection of two main arterial routes through the city. Firefighters couldn’t contain the blaze as it raced through false ceilings above the single-storey strip of restaurants and offices. About two hours later, the front facades of three of the businesses collapsed, sending a searing wave of heat across six lanes of usually commuter-congested Main Street.