A stretch of Kingsway in Burnaby is still closed as crews remain on the scene after an early morning fire at an apartment building sent 13 people to hospital.
Burnaby Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Ian Hetherington tells 1130 NewsRadio that about 48 firefighters responded to the blaze at a BC Housing building on Kingsway near Edmonds Avenue just before 3 a.m.
“It’s a concrete high-rise structure … Crews had heavy smoke and fire on the fourth floor, in the hallway, and in a suite, where they had to evacuate and rescue multiple patients, or victims,” Hetherington said.
“Residents were rescued and evacuated on three floors initially, eventually, the entire building was evacuated. Thirteen residents were transported to local hospitals. Two residents were suspected to be in critical condition with burns and smoke inhalation,” he added.
Hetherington says that while he doesn’t have an update on the victims’ conditions, about 20 people have been displaced from their homes in the 19-floor building.
“The fire is extinguished and we are investigating the cause,” he said.
Most of those taken to hospital were treated for smoke inhalation, Hetherington said.
“It was definitely difficult fire conditions,” Hetherington said. “The crews did a really good job in difficult conditions.
“There were some lithium-ion batteries in the suite, for like scooters and E-bikes, that made it more complex to fight the fire. It’s uncertain if the batteries caused the fire, but there were a number of batteries in the suite, which is a different type of fire,” he explained.source: CityNews photo: City of Burnaby
