Everyone escaped safely, but a cooking fire has left apartment block tenants in need of temporary shelter after a fire at a three-storey apartment complex on Sunday afternoon.
When the first responding crew of the Campbell River Fire Department arrived at the scene in the 200 block of 1st Ave., at 12:16 p.m., flames were showing from a second-floor unit.
“The crew captain immediately initiated an exterior knock down of the flames while the other crew members made entry into the building to search for tenants and to make an interior attack on the fire,” said Fire Chief Dean Spry. “There were no injuries and all occupants got out safely…and various pets were rescued.”
Campbell River Emergency Social Services attended the scene to help the tenants with accommodations and basic needs. The tenants will not be able to stay in their apartments until repairs are made. Fire stations No. 1 and No. 2 responded with 23 firefighters and four pieces of apparatus, to perform fire suppression and rescues. The fire department determined that cooking was the cause of the fire.
“This incident is a graphic reminder of why we should never leave stoves unattended while cooking,” Spry said.