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There was no raging fire in the historic Pitman Building this morning -- it was a false alarm. Had there actually been a raging fire in the historic Pitman Building neither I nor my breakfast would've gotten quite so cold.

Such were my grumpy thoughts this morning, cold and caffeine-deprived as I was.

The only thing alarming was the temperature outside!

This morning the fire alarm went off in the McDonald's on West Broadway Avenue just around the corner from South Granville Street. We customers all packed up and filed out of the restaurant under the gentle prodding of the staff who were right behind us out the door.

Out on the sidewalk most of us stood, some sat on the bus bench -- every one of us hunched over against the sudden shock of the cold. We waited for the wail of the firetruck; couldn't take long people said, the Fire Hall was just down the alley one street south of us.

Not ten minutes passed before a siren in the distance heralded the arrival from the west of a big red and white ladder truck.

Firefighters bundled out of the truck and headed for the Blenz coffee shop next door to McDonald's on the corner of Broadway Avenue and Granville Street.

By this time I for one would've welcomed being licked by a few flames. I don't much feel the cold because I don't usually stand around outside, but here I was doing just that and beginning to feel the chill.

Another few minutes passed before the McStaff, responding to some unseen cue, filed back into the restaurant followed by all their customers.

I reseated myself at the window where the remains of my breakfast regarded me coldly.

As I halfheartedly prodded what little remained of my Big Breakfast, a Vancouver park custodian I know by the name of Michael came in to tell me that people in Blenz were attributing the cause of the alarm to a Blenz customer who mistook the fire alarm by the front door for the automatic door opener. This was also what McDonald's staff were told.

Just next door to the Blenz coffee shop, there's no chance customers of the golden arches will make the same mistake for the simple reason that the Broadway and Granville McDonald's has no automatic door opener. Click the image above to enlarge it.

[caption id="attachment_10191" align="alignnone" width="497"] The view from back inside where it's warm. The firefighters prepare to depart.[/caption]