A 24-unit condo building in Maillardville was evacuated Tuesday morning after fire broke out on the third floor and spread to nearby suites.
Rescue crews arrived shortly after 9 a.m. to find smoke and flames coming through the roof at 976 Adair St. The occupants of the apartment where the fire started were home at the time and at least one resident of the building was taken to hospital.
"It is too early to say what started it," said Coquitlam Fire Chief Tony Delmonico. "[Investigators] are interviewing the people that were in the suite and we will probably have a first-hand account of what transpired."
The fire started on the third floor and quickly spread into an attic space. From there, the flames easily moved to surrounding units and Delmonico said between six and eight suites were damaged by flames, smoke and water.
"If it is isolated to one suite, you can usually knock it down quite quickly," Delmonico said. "As soon as it gets into that roof space, it can start to run on us. That is where we get a lot of trouble."
Flames and smoke could be seen from blocks away until crews gained control of the blaze at approximately 11 a.m. Investigators were on scene to determine the cause of the fire.
Five engines attended the incident, including a rescue truck and a ladder company. Help was also requested from the Port Coquitlam and Burnaby fire departments.
A TransLink bus was used to shuttle evacuees to Dogwood Pavilion. The city will be providing regular updates as they become available at www.coquitlam.ca and the HELP line at 604-927-4357.
