One person dead in Chilliwack apartment fire
Posted July 29, 2021 6:18 am.
Last Updated July 29, 2021 11:21 pm.
CHILLIWACK (NEWS 1130) — One person is dead after a fire broke out in an apartment building in Chilliwack early Thursday morning.
Crews were called to the building on Hazel Street and 1 Avenue, near Yale Road, around 1 a.m.
“Upon arrival, fire crews encountered heavy flame and black smoke coming from the roof of two unites on the backside of the building,” explained Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Brown.
One person is dead after a fire broke out in an apartment building in Chilliwack. https://t.co/UeTzGovTt2 #ChilliwackBC pic.twitter.com/ccqvWQVcN6
— CityNews 1130 Vancouver (Inactive) (@news1130) July 30, 2021
He tells NEWS 1130 multiple people were trapped on balconies, and fire crews required the use of ladders to rescue them.
“They secured a water supply and deployed master streams and handlines to set up a defensive fire attack to bring the fire under control,” said Brown.
He notes two firefighters suffered smoke inhalation. They were assessed at the scene and cleared.
Tyler Forster, who lives nearby, says he was shocked by the size of the fire billowing out of the building.
“It was really bad. The roof was on fire and there were flames coming out of it,” he said.
Credit: Tyler Forster
He says the area was filled with smoke, adding it had a chemical smell to it.
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Several ambulances were on scene attending to people who had been displaced.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Brown says the building is destroyed.
“The roof structure of the building sustained heavy fire damage. The third flood sustained fire damage, water damage, and smoke damage, and the other two floors were heavy water damage and smoke damage,” he described. “The building at this time is structurally unstable.”
A reception centre has been set up for evacuees, who will be found other places to stay. It’s unclear exactly how many people lived in the building, but Brown says there were about 50 units in the complex.
-With files from Sonia Aslam
