Firefighters from 4 cities called to battle Coquitlam apartment building fire
CTV
Roughly 100 people have been displaced after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Coquitlam in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Roughly 100 people have been displaced after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Coquitlam in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Dozens of firefighters from four different departments responded to the scene in the 500 block of Gatensbury Street, near Austin Avenue, shortly before 2 a.m., according to Chris Fox, assistant chief for Coquitlam Fire and Rescue.
"Crews arrived to find four fully involved suites in the back side, heavy fire going from the first to the second to the third floor and people on the balconies waiting to be rescued," Fox said.
"(Our) first priorities were rescuing the people off the balconies. Luckily, BC Ambulance was right on our tails this morning, so they took them in for evaluation right away."
BC Emergency Health Services told CTV News via email that it dispatched five ambulances and a supervisor to the scene, and transported three patients to hospital.
One of those patients, according to Fox, was a firefighter who fell through the building's second floor while battling the blaze.
The assistant chief said it was a "scary moment for everyone," but that the firefighter suffered only minor injuries. He was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital and has since been released, Fox said.
