Fire tore through an apartment unit in a building east of Five Corners in the downtown Chilliwack area Friday afternoon.
Firefighters responded from Halls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 to the blaze in the three-storey Cook Street apartment fire around 1 p.m. on March 6.
According to a press release, crews arrived to see “heavy, black smoke and flames venting from a second-floor apartment engulfing the balcony area and lapping to the third-floor.”
At least two people were rescued by Chilliwack Fire Department crews via ladders from their balconies in adjacent apartments.
Flames could be seen from the open balcony door of the second-floor unit as firefighters put water through the open door from the ground.
The fire was quickly extinguished but not before serious damage to the unit, smoke damage to adjacent units, and certainly water damage to the unit below.
Residents who escaped the building gathered outside, some in tears.
Approximately 30 apartment units were impacted by the fire, and a school bus from School District 33 was brought to the scene as temporary shelter for displaced occupants. Emergency Social Service were also on scene to provide additional support.
There were no fire fighter injuries.
This fire is considered accidental at this time, and is under investigation by the Chilliwack Fire Department.
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