'We have nowhere to live': Dozens displaced after Burnaby apartment building fire
Three people were rescued and dozens more have been displaced after a third-alarm blaze at a Burnaby apartment complex in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the fire department.
Crews were called to a three-story building on Albert Street in the Burnaby Heights neighbourhood around 2:45 a.m. A spokesperson told CTV News that the fire was contained to one suite on the third floor, but that roughly 20 other units sustained smoke and water damage.
Firefighters rescued three residents who were then taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. The cause is under investigation and an exact timeline for when people can return has not been set.
Billy-Joe Thorne lives on the second floor of the building and described the chaotic scene to CTV News.
"The guy above me had to climb down off the balcony -- from his balcony to my balcony to the bottom. I also had to get an elderly man out of an apartment," she said.
"Everybody got out because I was banging on the doors. No fire alarm went off on the third floor. On the second floor, it didn't go off for 10 minutes after the fire was already going. I got out of my apartment. I jumped up, I got out of the apartment and I banged on every door on the second floor to get these people out … It's very lucky that all of us are alive."
This CTV News photo shows an apartment in a Burnaby building destroyed by fire ao Aug.14, 2022.
Thorpe also alleges the building is not equipped with smoke detectors in the suites of fire extinguishers in the hallways.
She says she has no idea where she and her neighbours are going to go once their three nights at a nearby hotel are up. Thorpe also told CTV News that displaced residents have been given roughly $2,000 each by the landlord but that money won’t last long, and won't make up for the losses suffered by uninsured tenants.
"We have nowhere to live," she said. "They don't care about us. We are out on our butts … It's sad. It's sad for everybody."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.