A fire broke out at an apartment building at Mary Street and Patten Avenue in Chilliwack Tuesday night (May 6).
Forty firefighters responded to the fire, from halls 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. They arrived to find heavy fire and smoke coming from the sixth floor, and multiple people trapped on that floor. They worked quickly to access the sixth floor, establish a water supply, rescue trapped residents and evacuate the building.
"Thanks to the quick and effective tactics employed by crews, fire and smoke damage was limited to the sixth floor of the building," fire chief Andrew Brown said in a press release the following day.
Dozens of residents received emergency service support on the sidewalks in the area. Most of the residents were able to go back home, Brown said, and Chilliwack Emergency Support Services was on scene.
The fire began around 7 p.m., and this is the second fire in recent days at the seniors' apartment building. The most recent fire, on May 3, was on the ninth floor. RCMP were on scene conducting interviews with residents and neighbours.
Brown confirmed that two people were transported two blocks down to Chilliwack General Hospital, to be treated for smoke inhalation. There were no firefighter injuries.
The fire is under investigation by RCMP with support from Chilliwack Fire Department, and is not considered connected to the fire that occurred on May 03.
