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Burnaby firefighters dodge chunks of falling concrete during intense parkade blaze

Burnaby firefighters braved intense heat and chunks of falling concrete to extinguish a blaze that left three vehicles gutted in a highrise parkade. Crews were called to the Burnaby Centre Apartments on Grange Street at about 9:20 p.m. on Thursday.

Burnaby firefighters braved intense heat and chunks of falling concrete to extinguish a blaze that left three vehicles gutted in a highrise parkade.

Crews were called to the Burnaby Centre Apartments on Grange Street at about 9:20 p.m. on Thursday.

They arrived to find thick black smoke pouring from the P2 parkade level of the concrete residential highrise.

“It’s an extremely difficult and dangerous situation when firefighters go into an underground parking lot because it’s very hard to ventilate and remove all the smoke and gases,” assistant fire Chief Gavin Summers told the NOW. “Many firefighters have died in situations like this.”

Finding the three cars burning near the back of the parkade in the dim light and smoke was a challenge, Summers said, and firefighters had to employ search ropes,

They also had to dodge falling chunks of concrete dislodged from the ceiling by the intense heat, according to the assistant chief.

“It was extremely dangerous and challenging,” he said.

Summers said one civilian was trapped in a stairwell due to heavy smoke and had to be rescued by firefighters and taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Other residents were safely evacuated.

What caused the three cars to go up in flames is still unknown.

“Usually, once they’re burnt beyond recognition, it’s pretty hard for our investigators to find a cause, but at this time it’s under investigation.”