British Columbia

3 injured in overnight fire at Burnaby apartment building

Residents of a three-storey apartment building in Burnaby, B.C., were evacuated from the building after an early morning fire in one of the units on the second floor.

Firefighters were called to a building on Pender Street near Ingleton Avenue at around 1 a.m.

Assistant Fire Chief Greg Young said flames could be seen coming from a second-floor unit when fire crews arrived at the apartment building. (Ryan Stelting)

Residents of a three-storey apartment building in Burnaby, B.C., were evacuated from the building after an early morning fire in one of the units.

Assistant Fire Chief Greg Young said firefighters were called to the building on Pender Street near Ingleton Avenue at around 1 a.m. on Thursday and saw flames from the front of the building, coming from a second-floor unit.

"The crews were able to contain the actual fire to the suite of origin, but there was smoke damage to all three floors," Young said.

He said the building was evacuated and city buses were provided to shelter the residents.

After the fire was extinguished, some firefighters stayed at the scene to assist people coming back to collect their personal items, according to Young. (Ryan Stelting)

Three people were transported to hospital, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services, with two people in serious condition and one person in stable condition. 

"It's possible that the first floor and the third floor, some of the suites will be available to be occupied again, but the second floor would not be able to be occupied at the moment," Young said. 

A total of 38 firefighters and 11 fire trucks helped extinguish the fire, according to Young, and an investigation into the cause of the fire will soon be underway.