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1 person dead in Chilliwack, B.C., apartment fire

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Chilliwack, B.C. -

One person died in a massive apartment fire Chilliwack early Thursday morning.

The flames broke out about 1:20 a.m. at the Hazelwood Manor on Hazel Street near Margaret Avenue.

The heat and flames were so intense, residents began jumping from their balconies before firefighters arrived.

“Crews deployed ground ladders quickly and started performing rescues from those balconies, while the setup of water supply and deployed handlines and master streams for a defensive attack,” said Assistant Chief Andrew Brown, of the Chilliwack Fire Department.

Alan Bukuska lives next door and was woken up by the sound of firefighters kicking down his fence.

When he rushed outside, he noticed a man in distress on the third floor.

He called for help and firefighters used a tall ladder to carry the man to safety.

“Definitely a good shot of adrenaline. Yeah, I couldn't really believe it. Waking up at 1:30 in the morning, you don't really expect this type of thing to be happening,” said Bukuska.

It’s a situation that Brown says his crews are trained for, but he’s proud of their bravery, adding their efforts saved many lives.

“The rescues are difficult for fire crews. There is a lot of stress involved that are more or less what we train for we prepared for that. And the guys did a great job deploying the ground ladders and efficient safe manner and getting people off those balconies,” said Brown.

Sadly, one person that jumped from the building did not survive the fall.

Brown doesn’t believe any other residents were hurt, but two firefighters had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Bukuska was concerned about the flames reaching his home, at one point fire crews were fighting the flames from his rooftop.

“At one point, the flames were shooting out quite drastically, like right out over into the street almost. But yeah, the roof was on fire at one point and the smoke was so thick that we had to all stand way back here because it was just blowing right towards us," he said.

The building is severely damaged and has been deemed unstable so fire crews are not yet able to go inside. An engineer is expected on site Friday to determine if it’s safe enough to enter, and further assessments will determine if the building will need to be demolished.

“Looks like it started in the rear of the building up in the upper floors. The challenge is that it’s an older building with concealed spaces. So that you know makes it harder for crews to access the fire,” Brown told CTV News, adding investigators will also look at whether fire alarms went off.

 

“A lot of times in a fire, the alarms go off, occupants get out fairly quickly and I don't know why in this building they weren’t out as quick and they were on balconies,” he said.

Bukuska said it was incredible to watch firefighters do their work.

“It was really shocking. But when I saw what they were doing, I had full confidence. They knew what they were doing. They're keeping us safe. And I can't thank them enough they did an amazing job.”

The building has approximately 50 units.

All residents have been taken to a nearby reception centre and have access to emergency services. 

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