A fire that tore through an industrial building in Surrey, B.C. early Monday morning forced at least four business to close and left two people who were living upstairs homeless.
The two-alarm blaze broke out shortly after 1 a.m. at a building near 110 Avenue and 125 Street, and was already sending flames shooting into the sky by the time firefighters arrived on scene.
Firefighters said a couple who lived in a suite inside the building managed to escape safely in the middle of the night, but their cat and dog are unaccounted for.
"Social services have helped them get a place for the night," Fire Chief Andy George said.
One of the businesses at the property makes wood pallets, which kept firefighters on their toes as they tried to avoid adding more fuel to the flames.
"One of our primary tasks when we got here (was) to protect the pallets," George said. "If it would have gone into there, it would have been a large fire."
A towing company and Action Tire are also among the businesses impacted by the blaze.
Eight fire trucks and 22 firefighters were involved in the fight, and crews managed to douse the flames without any injuries.
The cause of the fire hasn't been determined, but firefighters said investigators would be surveying the scene once it's deemed safe.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Allison Hurst
