Around 100 displaced in Coquitlam apartment fire: officials
Dozens of people have been displaced from their homes after a fire tore through an apartment building in Coquitlam, B.C., early Thursday.
Coquitlam Assistant Fire Chief Chris Fox said crews arrived at the scene at Gatensbury Street and Austin Avenue to find four suites engulfed in flames with smoke billowing out doors and windows, as people stood on balconies waiting to be rescued.
"We had the ground level to fourth-floor flames. It was quite a sight in the back end there," he told CBC News.
Firefighters from other jurisdictions including Burnaby, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody were called to help, and in total 68 firefighters were on the scene, Fox said.
One fell through the floor as it collapsed, sustaining a "minor" injury to his ankle, and was taken to hospital, he said.
RCMP said they were called to the scene by fire crews around 1:45 a.m. PT. They told CBC News that no one was seriously hurt, although some smoke-related injuries were reported.
Two transit buses were brought in to provide shelter and heat for residents as the building burned.
Fox said around 100 residents of the block have been displaced by the fire. Emergency Support Services has set up a reception centre for those displaced at the Poirier Community Centre.
