KAMLOOPS — UPDATE- 7:30 AM.
A major structure fire overnight has left a number of people temporarily homeless.
(NOTE: Photos and video from the scene have been posted here.)
The fire broke out around midnight at a 3-storey apartment building in the 400-block of Cherry Avenue in North Kamloops. Fire crews reported flames showing upon arrival, with significant involvement on the back side of the building in a third floor suite. The flames then spread towards the roof.
Additional firefighting crews were called in. Crews had to comb the building to make sure everyone was out. Platoon captain Wade Lindoff said they had to make a couple of rescues when they first arrived, rescuing people who were trapped on third floor balconies. Lindoff says everyone made it out safely.
The building is uninhabitable at this point and a number of people are in temporary shelter. Hydro crews cut the lines, and the City was called in to turn off the water to reduce flooding. Lindoff says most of the real damage was contained to the third floor suite at the back of the building, which was gutted in the blaze. There was also quite a bit of smoke and water damage. He says there was a small area of the roof that was affected, but because there wasn’t much of an attic, it didn’t spread too far.
One crew remains on scene this morning. At the height of the blaze, Lindoff says approximately 25 firefighters were working the blaze. Investigators will be checking through the rubble later this morning, looking for a cause.
