Cause of fire in downtown Charlottetown remains under investigation

A fire that severely damaged a Sydney Street apartment building on Wednesday is now out, though crews were still putting out hot spots Thursday morning, says Charlottetown's fire chief.

Tim Mamye is warning people to stay away from the area, given that the building's structural integrity was compromised; he thinks the third floor has probably collapsed into the second floor by now. The building experienced extensive smoke and water damage as well, the chief said. 

The 12 people who were living in the building have been contacted by the Red Cross and are receiving support in the short term, said Mamye. 

"Long term, I think they're going to be looking for a spot, unfortunately," he said. 

Two residents of the building were treated by EMS and transported to hospital, the fire chief said. He said he received an update last night saying they experienced minor injuries and are doing well. 

The "stubborn fire" was on the third floor and ate into the attic space, Mamye said. 

The response involved three fire engines from District 1, one fire engine from District 2, a rescue truck and a ladder truck. About 45 to 50 firefighters worked to quell the flames from around 2:15 p.m. until midnight, he said.

Some streets in downtown Charlottetown remained blocked off Thursday as crews worked to clean up the site.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but investigators remain on the scene, Mamye said.