Fire engulfs 4-storey Brandon condo building

A four-storey residential building in Brandon went up in flames Tuesday night.

Fire crews were seen dousing the blaze at 1400 Pacific Avenue around 9 p.m.

"It's very active, the building appears to be fully engulfed in flames," Brandon Police Service Sgt. Kirby Sararas said shortly after 10 p.m.

Sararas said crews were called to the area at 8:45 p.m. Before the 47-unit building was engulfed, emergency personnel managed to get inside and knock on the doors of each suite to alert those tenants who were home to leave.

There are no reported injuries and it's believed everyone escaped, said Sararas, though that won't be clear until after the fire is out and an investigation can take place.

A bus was brought to the area to take residents from the building to stay at the Salvation Army, she said.

Sararas said traffic had become congested around the building as crews continued to fight the fire, and she suspected it was caused partly by people coming to the area to see the blaze.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area, she said. 

The cause of the fire is not yet known.