Up to 20 displaced, 15 hospitalized after Burnaby, B.C., apartment fire, officials say

Up to 20 people have been displaced, and more than a dozen hospitalized, following an early morning fire at a Burnaby, B.C., apartment building on Thursday, according to the local fire department.

Paul Rushton, an information officer with the Burnaby Fire Department, said nearly 50 firefighters responded to the fire, which started at about 3:00 a.m. PT at 7272 Kingsway St. 

The fire started on the fourth floor of the building, and smoke spread up to the 12th floor, Rushton said.

B.C. Emergency Health Services said 15 people were sent to hospital — three in serious condition and 12 in stable condition.

B.C. Housing, which manages the rental property, says Emergency Support Services (ESS) is working to find temporary accommodation for those affected. In a statement released early Thursday afternoon, the agency said the total number of people displaced had not yet been confirmed.

"B.C. Housing staff will be on hand to help support people who have been impacted by this fire," it said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, according to Rushton.

"All we know is we want to make sure that we're thinking about those people that have been injured and displaced from this fire, which is really important at this time," he said.

Rushton said the fourth floor appears to have "extensive damage" because the door of the fire compartment was left open, cautioning people to close those doors in the case of fire.

Rushton said there are no sprinklers at the concrete building. 

"At the time it was built back in the day, it probably didn't have sprinklers based on the fire code," he said.

He said fire extinguishing efforts were also hindered by lithium batteries from e-bikes and e-scooters found in the area of the fire.

B.C. Housing said the fire is not anticipated to affect any redevelopment plans at the site.