2 taken to hospital after fire at Port Coquitlam apartment building

Firefighters battled a blaze at an apartment building in Port Coquitlam on the morning of June 18, 2024.

Two people were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Port Coquitlam Tuesday morning, according to officials.

Port Coquitlam Fire Chief Blake Clarkson told CTV News the blaze started on the top floor of a three-storey wood frame building on Wilson Avenue and the response involved 40 firefighters, some of whom were deployed from neighbouring Coquitlam.

In addition to the two patients transported to Royal Columbian Hospital, Clarkson said a "number" of other residents have been displaced.

Mayor Brad West, in a series of social media posts, said the fire did not spread beyond the building where it started.

"The fire is contained and will be fully extinguished," he wrote.

Emergency support services are being provided to evacuated residents at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre, he added.

"My concern and priority is with supporting all those impacted - and my sincere appreciation is with all the firefighters, first responders and city staff mounting a full response."

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The exact number of people displaced has not been confirmed.