Firefighters continue to comb through evidence days after a fire caused major smoke damage to a seniors’ home in Burnaby on Christmas morning.
Residents of a 24-unit apartment building in the 6000 block of Pandora Street were awoken shortly after 8 a.m. on Dec. 25 by firefighters responding to a two-alarm blaze in one of the units.
According to the Burnaby Fire Department, the fire was contained to the one unit but there was considerable smoke damage to the rest of the building.
The building, operated by B.C. Housing, is home to seniors and people with disabilities. All the residents were evacuated on Dec. 25 and were expected to stay in hotels for at least 72 hours as fire investigators search for the cause of the blaze.
“They won’t be going back any time in the near future,” assistant fire chief Scott Wren told The Province. “With the amount of smoke in the suites, health-wise, we just can’t let them back in now.”
Despite the damage to the building, only three people suffered smoke inhalation, and of them, only two were taken to hospital as a precaution, according to fire officials.
Wren said it was tough seeing people evacuated from their homes on Christmas morning, even though no one was seriously injured.
“It’s always horrible, but it’s tenfold when it’s this time of year,” he added. “The fact that it was Christmas morning was crummy.”
Investigators expect to have more information on the cause of the fire later today (Friday).
- With files from The Province
