142 residents displaced from Mission retirement home after fire

A massive fire tore through a retirement residence in Mission on Monday afternoon.

Images from the scene show that the top floors of Chartwell Carrington House near 7th Avenue and Cedar Valley Connector were engulfed in flames.

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The Mission RCMP says emergency crews were called to the building shortly before 6 p.m.

At a media event Tuesday morning, Mission Fire Rescue Service (MFRS) Chief Mark Goddard said the building was equipped with sprinklers, but the fire quickly spread to the attic where sprinklers are not required.

“By the time our crews had affected all the rescue, the fire had progressed rather rapidly because we weren’t actively fighting the fire at that time, we were rescuing residents. So really at that point it was a defensive fire. So we were talking about large trucks, large amount of water, elevated master streams from ladder trucks, ground monitors with large diameter hoses. So we poured an awful lot of water into the building,” Goddard described.

In a written statement, the City of Mission said that a reception centre has been established at the nearby Mission Leisure Centre.

Mounties confirmed the building was evacuated onto the street, and a nearby church temporarily took the residents in.

“But the City of Mission and BC Emergency Support Services were quickly able to arrange space at the Mission Leisure Centre, and the Coast Mountain Bus Company provided transit buses to transport residents there,” police added.

Paramedics reportedly assessed those who needed medical care, but the RCMP says no serious injuries or fatalities were reported.

“One resident was later found alive in a stairwell of Carrington House, and was treated for smoke inhalation.”

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In an email to 1130 NewsRadio, the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) says that additional support crews were at the scene.

“Ground and air resources have been dispatched,” PHSA spokesperson Diana Stepczuk said.

As of Tuesday morning, MFRS is reportedly still on scene, putting out hot spots and investigating the cause of the fire.

“There is no indication of anything criminal at this time,” police say.

Goddard says all 142 residents were displaced by the fire.

The RCMP says the residents have each been picked up by family members or relocated to another Chartwell residence or hotel nearby.

Mounties did not say how many residents would not be allowed to return home.

“No assistance or donations are being requested at this time.”