3 in serious condition after early morning Burnaby apartment fire, 15 taken to hospital

A stretch of Kingsway in Burnaby is still closed as crews remain on the scene after an early morning fire at an apartment building sent 15 people to hospital.

Burnaby Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Ian Hetherington tells 1130 NewsRadio that about 48 firefighters responded to the blaze at a BC Housing building on Kingsway near Edmonds Avenue just before 3 a.m.

“It’s a concrete high-rise structure … Crews had heavy smoke and fire on the fourth floor, in the hallway, and in a suite, where they had to evacuate and rescue multiple patients, or victims,” Hetherington said.

“Residents were rescued and evacuated on three floors initially, eventually, the entire building was evacuated. Thirteen residents were transported to local hospitals. Two residents were suspected to be in critical condition with burns and smoke inhalation,” he added.

Hetherington says that while he doesn’t have an update on the victims’ conditions, about 20 people have been displaced from their homes in the 19-floor building.

“The fire is extinguished and we are investigating the cause,” he said.

Most of those taken to hospital were treated for smoke inhalation, Hetherington said.

“It was definitely difficult fire conditions,” Hetherington said. “The crews did a really good job in difficult conditions.

“There were some lithium-ion batteries in the suite, for like scooters and E-bikes, that made it more complex to fight the fire. It’s uncertain if the batteries caused the fire, but there were a number of batteries in the suite, which is a different type of fire,” he explained.

In a statement, the BC Emergency Health Services said dozens of first responders also attended the scene.

“Twelve ambulances with primary care paramedics, three ambulances with advanced care paramedics, and a paramedic supervisor responded to the scene. Two additional paramedic supervisors provided assistance at the hospital,” paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites said.

“Paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to 15 patients, of these three were transported to hospital in serious condition and 12 were transported in stable condition,” he added.

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With files from Sonia Aslam and Jusneel Mahal.

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