An early-morning fire on Sunday displaced all 82 residents of a Mission apartment building.
Reports of the fire at the building on 12th Avenue and Horne Street were first reported to Mission Fire Rescue Service at approximately 4:30 a.m., Oct. 18, and firefighting operations lasted until 11 a.m., said Fire Chief Mark Goddard.
“On arrival we could see flames coming from the roof of the fifth floor,” Goddard said. “Initially, we fought the fire with the fire truck and large lines to control it, at which point, we had to make some risky entries into the building.”
The fire caused extensive damage to the fifth floor, and the fourth to second floors had water damage in the centre of the building, according to Goddard, who added the wings of the structure are in fairly good shape.
“The building is completely evacuated right now because Hydro cut the power to the entire building.”
He said emergency support services arrived and worked with the transit authority to bus the evacuees to a reception centre at Mission Leisure Centre.
The displaced people were registered into the emergency support services network, and if they had nowhere to go they were given hotel vouchers, which covers them for 72 hours, Goddard said. Staff will be working today to help link people with further services.
A total of five engines attended the fire, two from Mission Fire Rescue Service and three from Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service, Goddard said.
He said investigation is ongoing, but the fire is not being considered suspicious at this time.
A private security company has been hired to monitor the building.