5 rescued, 2 taken to hospital after fire engulfs Burnaby apartment building

Fire crews in Burnaby were busy Thursday morning after a blaze at an apartment building sent at least two people to hospital.

“I saw flames coming out of the suite very badly,” said building manager Nader Pourvazyar. “In a few seconds, it was on the third floor and up.”

“Smoke was everywhere,” added third floor resident Ghazal Rajabi, who says she was taking a shower when she heard the smoke detector go off. “It was so bad.”

Burnaby RCMP tells CTV News that Mounties were called to the scene to assist with traffic due to the fire, which erupted at approximately 9:15 a.m.

Flames and heavy smoke could be seen billowing out of the low-rise apartment building at 355 Holdom Avenue.

Pourvazyar says the building has 44 suites, with most occupied by one or two tenants. He adds that fire crews responded approximately 10 to 15 minutes from when he made the call.

One resident suffered a cut on his forehead while escaping through a first floor window.

“Knocked the glass out with the shirt I didn’t have on yet, and then I ducked out and got a slight cut on my head from the window,” said Eric Dodds, who lives on the fourth floor.

Dodds says he resorted to breaking the window due to thick black smoke making it difficult to locate emergency exits.

In an interview with CTV News, the Burnaby Fire Department says up to five people were rescued from the fire and two people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"Upon arrival, there was heavy fire from the second floor suite on the exterior of the building extending to the third floor suite involving the roof space," says Chief Chris Bowcock.

Bowcock says the blaze drew a large response, with 48 firefighters and seven fire trucks attending the scene.

"The operations were to immediately make rescues from balconies and suites…while simultaneously attacking the fire to extinguish it and eliminate the spread of the fire to adjacent suites," he says.

“There’s extensive smoke damage throughout the building,” added Asst. Chief Gavin Summers. “Two suites were completely gutted. We had the floors burnt right through one suite into the next suite.”

Summers says the building is highly unstable, and it could take three to four weeks until it’s deemed safe enough for residents to return to their homes.

Fire crews are working with Emergency Social Services to gather tenants' belongings from their units and making sure the residents have shelter for the next three nights. After that, officials say uninsured tenants will have to make arrangements for themselves until the building is deemed safe to return.

“I’m dizzy, I don’t know where to go,” said Tanaz Mehraeban, one of the people forced from their homes. “I don’t have a plan.”