Around 100 displaced in Coquitlam apartment fire: officials

Dozens of people have been displaced from their homes after a fire tore through a rental apartment building in Coquitlam, B.C., early Thursday.

CoquitlamAssistant Fire Chief Chris Fox said crews arrived at the scene at Gatensbury Street and Austin Avenue to find four suites engulfed in flameswith smoke billowing out doors and windows, as people stood on balconies waitingto be rescued.

"We had the ground level to fourth-floor flames. It was quite a sight in the back end there," he told CBCNews.

WATCH | Extensive damage from Coquitlam apartment fire:

Around 100 displaced by Metro Vancouver apartment fire: officials

6 months ago

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Fire crews attended a serious blaze at an apartment block in Coquitlam, B.C., Thursday morning. Roughly 100 people will be displaced as a result, officials say.

Firefighters from other jurisdictions including Burnaby, Port Coquitlam andPort Moodywere 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 added.

RCMP said they were called to the scene by fire crews around 1:45 a.m. PT. They told CBCNews that no one was seriously hurt, although some smoke-related injuries were reported.

Resident MohammedSiddiquisays he was awakened bythe sound a fire alarm.

"I saw like flashes of red in the window, so I went to check it out and there was a massive fire going on," he said.

His family's unit is on the other side of the building so they weren't forced to evacuate.

However, others, like Max Mohseni, had to flee in the cold of the winter. His family lives next door to one of the units that had caught on fire. His sister and mother had to run out in their pyjamas.

"Last night was terrible. Smoke comes to our face and we just take our lives and runbecause we were afraid the fire would come to our homes, too," he said.

Two transit buses were brought in to provide shelter and heat for residents as the building burned.

Reception centre opened

Fox said around 100 residents have been displaced by the fire.

The City of Coquitlam, along with Emergency Support Services, has opened a reception centre nearby to help co-ordinate support for residents, which can include food, lodging, clothing, family reunification and emotional support.

Fire investigators are on-scene and Fox says it's unclear if and when displaced residents will be able to return. He says city staff and engineers must first determine whether it is safe.