Image Credit: CFJC Today / Adam Donnelly

By Jill Sperling

Apartment fire

Residents of North Shore apartment shaken by overnight fire

Jan 19, 2021 | 3:42 PM

KAMLOOPS — The scars of an overnight fire are singed into the exterior of an apartment building on Cherry Avenue. It’s all that residents have been allowed to see of their homes after fleeing the flames.

“I just heard this alarm noise and came outside and saw fire, massive fire,” said Sadnam Singh, a resident of the building. “It was a pretty bad situation for everybody.”

Kamloops Fire Rescue was alerted to the fire just before midnight, arriving to see smoke and flame billowing from the building.

Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Cail says crews had to act fast to save some trapped residents.

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“When they got on scene, there were several people that needed assistance out of the building and our crews laddered the building, got them off the patio, got them out of a couple of suites and actually effected a really good rescue and managed to get a number of people out of the building,” Cail said.

Some residents left the building with only the clothes on their backs, while others were not home at the time of the fire.

Many returned in the morning hoping to find out what was left of their homes.

“Everything I have is inside — my wallet, my ID cards, everything,” said resident Emmanuel Chigbu.

Chigbu was at work when the flames broke out. He says his unit was directly across the hall from where the fire started.

“We are here this morning to check if there’s any provision for us for now,” he said. “They took my details, but they didn’t take my contact (information), like phone number or email. So, they have not contacted me this morning, so I am here to know — because I have a lot of stuff inside and clothes. I don’t have any change of clothes, I have nothing. I don’t know what to do right now honestly.”

Singh only grabbed his laptop on the way out the door.

“It’s important — not more than me, but it’s important.”

Cail says around 30 residents were provided with temporary shelter overnight.

“Our command staff was initiated last night as well, so we had ESS called and contacted and we had some temporary residences put together for these folks,” Cail said. “There was 30-something people that needed some temporary shelter and ESS was awesome, they came on scene and helped facilitate this, looked after everybody that needed it and so far it sounds like they’re all being looked after as we speak.”

Fire investigators were digging through the rubble in the morning and residents were not expected to be allowed back in to their units for at least 24 hours.