Eight people were rushed to hospital Tuesday morning after flames engulfed a three-storey apartment complex in Delta, B.C.
Flames could be seen shooting from the roof when Delta police and Delta Fire Department responded to the complex at the corner of Nordel Way and Scott Road, near the Kennedy Heights shopping centre, around 6:15 a.m.
In Pictures: Delta apartment fire
Const. Sharlene Brooks said the blaze was quickly upgraded from a one-alarm to three-alarm fire once fire officials arrived at the scene.
"It's a big fire," she told ctvbc.ca two hours after the fire started. "Crews are just battling to put it out."
Police and fire crews worked together to evacuate all the tenants from the 85-unit wood-framed building. Firefighters coaxed and carried some trapped residents down ladders to safety.
At least one unit has been completely gutted by fire.
All residents were accounted for after a primary search of the building; however, a secondary search will be completed once the fire is fully extinguished.
The fire was contained to one unit by 8 a.m. but several other adjacent apartment buildings were evacuated as a precaution.
Fire Chief Dan Copeland told CTV News there were no smoke alarms or sprinklers in the building.
A reception area for displaced residents has been set up at the nearby Kennedy Seniors' Recreation Centre on 88th Avenue. Close to 150 people have taken refuge there and at nearby hotels.
The BC Ambulance Service reported the majority of injuries are minor. Brooks said it's possible more tenants will be treated for smoke inhalation.
There is still no word on what caused the fire, but tenants say that sparks from the plug on a coffee machine could be to blame.
Watch CTV News at Six for a full report from Peter Grainger
