Chilliwack townhouse fire displaces 3 families

A fire broke out at a townhouse complex in Chilliwack on July 28, 2024. (Image credit: Julie Hiscock via Facebook/thevalleyvoicenews)

Not all units at a townhouse complex where a fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning had working smoke alarms, according to officials, who say it’s lucky no one was hurt.

Firefighters were called to the scene, on Hodgins Avenue near Mavis Street, at around 3:30 a.m.

“Firefighters arrived to find an active fire with smoke and flames visible from the roofline, and all occupants safely evacuated. The call was immediately upgraded to a second alarm,” a news release from the Chilliwack Fire Department says department says.

Roughly 40 firefighters from five different halls were involved with fighting the flames, trying to prevent them from spreading to more structures.

Three families have been displaced as a result of the fire and the department is urging people to make sure they have properly functioning smoke alarms after finding that was not the case in this incident.

“We urge all residents to ensure they have working smoke alarms on each level of their home and in each sleeping area, with alarms interconnected so that when one goes off, all levels are alerted to the fire. We are fortunate that there were no injuries to the occupants or the firefighters,” the statement from the fire department continued.

Assistant Fire Chief Kritsa Minar told CTV News the top floors of three adjoined townhomes were completely destroyed, although some of the lower levels may be “salvageable.”

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the RCMP and the fire department, which Minar says is the case when the preliminary investigation doesn’t find clear evidence it was accidental.

Anyone with information is being asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.