The effects of a devastating White Rock apartment fire are being felt across the city, which is now under a boil-water advisory as a result.
The inferno broke out in a condo complex under development early Sunday, and quickly spread to a nearby 60-unit apartment building.
More than 100 people lost their homes in the out-of-control fire, and several ground-floor commercial spaces were also destroyed. Two people were treated for minor injuries, including a man who broke his leg tripping on a fire hose.
Smoke and water from the fire may have also damaged a nearby Catholic church.
"I think a lot of [the residents] were in shock because of course they literally only got out with clothes on their backs," said White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin, speaking from the site of the fire.
"Some of them had time to put on outside clothes but a couple were still in their pajamas and house coats."
Firefighters poured so much water on the buildings that the water pressure dropped for the entire city. White Rock issued the boil-water advisory over concerns the fire may have contaminated the city's water supply.
Staff said water pressure had returned back to normal by Monday, but the advisory would remain in place until test results provided more conclusive information. Those results are expected by Tuesday morning.
Crews gained the upper hand on the fire on Sunday afternoon, but were still dousing water on hot spots and flare ups more than 24 hours later. Firefighters from neighbouring Surrey helped their White Rock counterparts in putting out the flare up.
A fundraising page to help victims with their immediate needs had raised nearly $7,400 in 24 hours.
Darcy Freemantle said she only had time to grab her dog and coat before fleeing the burning building.
“People were banging on the doors really hard, like get out. Get out,” she said, adding that she wasn’t sure if anything in her top-floor suite would be recoverable.
“I’m in a hotel and I have nothing. This is it.”
The cause of the initial fire at the construction site is still under investigation but it was wind that caused it to spread to the apartment complex.
“We go in there with an open mind. Our role is to determine the cause, then at that stage it'll dictate which way it goes,” White Rock Fire Chief Phil Lemire said of whether the blaze was considered suspicious.
Smoke was visible for kilometres and the force of the blaze sent hot embers flying through the air, landing on cars and decks.
Leanne Arnott, who owns a Cobs Bread Bakery nearby, stayed up most of the night baking so she could drop off drop off bread and snacks for emergency responders and evacuees on Monday morning.
"It's devastating and we're a community and we need to stick together,” she said.
“And we just felt that this was something we could do for everybody."
Mayor Baldwin echoed that sentiment, saying he’s witnessed many acts of kindness and compassion since the building was destroyed.
"The human spirit is amazing and the spirit of community is very, very strong and that's really what has been shown," he said.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson and Ben Miljure
White Rock Fire Chief not prepared to call fire suspicious. Says the investigation has just begun. @CTVVancouver pic.twitter.com/7TRf5hRYxS
— Ben Miljure (@CTVNewsBen) May 16, 2016