1 unaccounted for, 2 in serious condition after 5-house fire, explosion near Langley-Surrey border
Posted February 28, 2025 11:48 am.
Last Updated February 28, 2025 7:46 pm.
Two people have been sent to hospital after a massive house fire that crews are still fighting Friday afternoon, and Mounties say may have started with an explosion.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!Callers first reported smoke and flames near the intersection of 196 Street and 73A Avenue in Langley around 11 a.m.
“First responders from Langley Fire, Emergency Health Services, and Langley RCMP are currently on scene. Residences in the surrounding area have been evacuated,” Mounties said.
BC Emergency Health Services says paramedics treated two patients who were transported away from the scene and then to hospital in air ambulance helicopters. BCEHS says the patients are in “critical condition.”
Sgt. Zynal Sharoom of the Langley RCMP says the incident was first reported around 10:40 a.m.
“The initial calls we received were for an explosion and then followed by a fire call. So we believe that they’re both are linked with each other,” said Sharoom.
He says the fire started in one home but has spread to others.
“There was the first one that was involved, and then due to the large heat source from that one fire, it has affected neighbouring residences, hence why we’ve got several streets blocked up in that area.”
Homes in the surrounding area have been evacuated, Sharoom says, in “an abundance of caution.”
In an update before 3 p.m., Sharoom said one person is still “unaccounted for.”
“However, we are unsure at this time if this individual was inside the residence or they were not even home, so we’re still working with the fire department and other individuals in the area to locate this person,” he said.
Witnesses in the neighbourhood say the fire started with a “bang.” One neighbour says the explosion felt like a truck striking her home.
“I came out, and the roof was in the front yard, and then two gentlemen came out of the wreckage. And then the fire immediately started, and it spread really fast,” she told CityNews.
“I saw these two houses be evacuated, and I imagine the ones surrounding… I did wonder for a moment if this would be the case for us. But the fire department got here remarkably fast, and they’ve done a really tremendous job.”
Another neighbour, Manjuram Mannuru, says the sound is still echoing in his ear. He told CityNews he watched the two men exit the house as well.
“He was crying, ‘There is someone inside.’ A guy who came out. He was crying. He was also in shock. He was crying loud,” said Mannuru.
He provided an image of one of the men he says was later taken to hospital.
Uzma Makhdumi, who runs Angel Home Daycare across the street from the fire, tells 1130 NewsRadio that another daycare, the Learning Express Early Learning Centre on 73A Avenue, is hosted in one of the homes affected by the fire.
She says her daycare was evacuated and everyone is safe, but could not confirm the status of the other.
The RCMP declined questions about if one of the homes contained a daycare. 1130 NewsRadio has reached out to the Learning Express for more information.
Langley Township Deputy Fire Chief Russ Jenkins said crews were still fighting the fire as of noon, and he estimated they would be there for many more hours.
“We’re going to be there for a good chunk of the day I would imagine,” said Jenkins, adding that crews were doing all they can to prevent the fire from spreading further.
“Unfortunately, we have a lot of people who love to come and have a look, but it makes our job a little more difficult getting in and out,” said Jenkins.
“I would just tell people to avoid the area, because we’ve got a lot of fire apparatus there.”
In an update before 3 p.m., Jenkins said five homes were affected by the fire. The home where the explosion took place, he confirms, is destroyed.
“There was significant damage to two houses on either side,” he added.
He says fire investigators are on scene and firefighters “have got things under control.”
There is an indefinite road closure on 196 Street between 72 and 74 avenues and several side streets are also affected, police say. Drivers are being asked to avoid the area and find alternate routes.
—With files from Kier Junos
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