Three people were sent to hospital following a dramatic rescue from an apartment building fire in Vancouver's West End.
Flames broke out at Sunset Towers, an apartment complex for seniors and people with disabilities located on Barclay Street, late Sunday night.
Investigators said they hadn't pinpointed the exact cause of the blaze, but that it started on the floor next to someone's bed.
Crews managed to contain the fire to the third-floor suite.
"Coming on scene, we sent in a fire attack crew right away," said Vancouver Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Jeff Coroliuc.
"They were able to extinguish the fire right away, then pull the tenant from the suite out right away."
The tenant was unconscious when she was found, and had to be revived on the grass in front of the building, Coroliuc said.
Minutes later, a person with a disability who lives in the suite next door was carried out of the building and treated by first responders as well. A third person was helped out of the building and taken to hospital for treatment from smoke inhalation.
Buildings like Sunset Towers can be a challenge for firefighters, Coroliuc said.
"It's a large high-rise with a lot of elderly and disabled people in it, which poses a problem when you have a fire in a building like this because you have to think about evacuation and bringing in more apparatus," he said.
The building has about 240 units and about as many residents.
Additional firefighters were sent to the building in case of evacuation, where they'd need the extra hands to help those who might not be able to get out on their own, but fortunately they did not have to evacuate.
The building also had two staff members on site to help firefighters gain access where needed.
Jim Loney, general manager of More Than a Roof Housing Society's downtown division, said they're fortunate the fire department is located nearby.
"They responded quickly last night and we're thankful for that," he told CTV News Monday morning.
"It's always a bit of an issue getting people out and making sure they're safe, and in this case I understand there was a lot of smoke, so obviously we needed to check and see what other units were affected."
Loney said most of the damage was caused by smoke, but that he'd been in the suite where the fire started and there was some fire damage.
"It's not significant but there is a bit of a smell still lingering in the hallways and it's going to take a bit of work for us to sort of renovate and fix up whatever is wrong in the suite."
He said the tenant is doing OK as far as he's heard, but did not have details on her condition.
Dale Parkes, who lives in the building, said he smelled smoke from the building's top floor. The fire alarm was going off, and when he looked outside he saw seven fire trucks and two ambulances. He saw two people taken away on stretchers, but was stuck upstairs as the elevators were turned off.
The elevators stop running as soon as the fire alarm goes off, he said, so residents with mobility issues and those who use a wheelchair can't get down until they're back in operation.
Parkes said he'd spoken to friends who live on the third floor the next morning, and that the tenant's mattress had caught fire. He said he was told it could have been electrical or from a cigarette, though officials have not yet released a cause.
"Apparently they're doing fine this morning," he said.
He said he could still smell smoke in the morning, and that from what he'd seen, firefighters had done an "excellent" job.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim
