Burnaby fire crews rescue several people in Capitol Hill
Posted October 13, 2022 10:08 am.
Last Updated October 13, 2022 2:04 pm.
A three-alarm fire at a building in Burnaby’s Capitol Hill neighbourhood has forced some people out of their homes Thursday morning.
Fire crews say “multiple rescues of people from fire areas” were performed in the area of Hastings Street and Holdom Avenue.
“Fire attack is in progress. There is still the evacuation of the building and we’re currently operating in that area,” Burnaby Fire Chief Chris Bowcock said just before 10 a.m., adding crews were expected to be in the area for some time still.
“When I talk about evacuations, I mean we’re evacuating people from low-hazard areas and adjacent. So it’s just clearing out the workspace and/or moving people out of the building and adjacent areas.”
A fire at a residential building in Burnaby’s Capitol Hill on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, sent thick smoke rising into the air. (Courtesy Twitter/@positivecreep)
It’s unclear how many people had to be rescued, with Bowcock saying teams were dealing with a “minute by minute” operation.
“I walked out of my apartment — there was hardly any smoke in my apartment at the time — and I went down the hallway, which was filling with smoke from the fourth floor,” one resident told reporters.
“I went down the stairs all the way down to the bottom and I realized it was so smoky I could hardly see. Then I realized there was no exit there so I went up half a flight, and I wasn’t going to go back to where the exit was because of the smoke, so I kicked the window out and I knocked the glass out,” the man, who suffered a slight cut to the face, continued.
“I feel lucky,” he added.
Burnaby fire was called to the Capitol Hill area on Thursday, Oct. 13. Several people were rescued from the building. (CityNews Image)
Images from the scene show thick smoke rising from the structure.
People are being asked to avoid the area, with crews urging people to not use Hastings Streets in the Capitol Hill area for the time being.
No injuries have been reported so far, and it’s unclear what may have caused the fire.
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-With files from Cole Schisler
