Over 100 people were displaced after fire erupted in their Surrey apartment building Sunday evening.
The Surrey Fire Service says firefighters were called to a four-storey apartment on 101 Avenue and 154 Street around 7 p.m.
“Crews arrived to find heavy fire conditions on the second floor, and the fire had already extended through the third and fourth floors and began traveling down the roof line,” Assistant Fire Chief Jerry Siggs told 1130 NewsRadio.
He says the fire was “substantially controlled in about 90 minutes,” but it required substantial resources and several more hours of work to extinguish hot spots.
“We also had crews assisting displaced documents, retrieving items such as medications and animals that were left inside at the time,” Siggs explained.
He says 68 units were affected and occupants will not be able to return inside until an investigation is complete and the structure is determined to be stable.
The Surrey Fire Service, Siggs says, processed over 100 people looking for support overnight.
“Fire investigators on scene right now trying to work through and determine a cause, but at this time, we haven’t come up with anything yet. We’re still working.”
—With files from Srushti Gangdev and Renee Bernard
