Moncton apartment building evacuated after paper carrier sees smoke

A 10-storey apartment building in Moncton was evacuated, including some tenants who were carried down several flights of stairs by firefighters, after a fire in an eighth-floor unit early Saturday morning.

At about 4:30 a.m., a newspaper carrier noticed smoke coming from under the door of the Cameron Street apartment, said Moncton Fire platoon chief Rob Brine.

"He was delivering his papers and noticed smoke coming from the bottom of the door, pulled the fire alarm and knocked on the door to wake up the person inside and we responded from there."

There were no injuries, Brine said. The elderly female tenant was treated at hospital for smoke inhalation and released.

As firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, other firefighters began evacuating the building, first with the eighth, ninth and 10th floors, and then working their way down to the lower floors.

"A few of the people that were living there were non-ambulatory so we had to carry them down seven, eight flights of stairs to evacuate," Brine said.

Firefighters were on scene for about three hours and were able to contain the fire to the one unit, Brine said.

The Red Cross said about eight adult tenants have been temporarily displaced, including the woman in the apartment where the fire started. The Red Cross is assisting with emergency lodging and meals, and, in some cases, with clothing purchases.

The other tenants have been cleared to return to their apartments.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.