4-alarm apartment fire displaces Surrey residents
The fire forced out dozens of people and their pets from their homes in the four-storey complex
At least 100 Surrey residents were displaced after a massive fire tore through an apartment building late Saturday night.
The Celeste apartment building on 121a Street was evacuated after multiple residents called 911 after seeing flames on the exterior of the building around 10:30 p.m. PT Saturday night.
"Just very very fast, it escalated very fast," said Amar Jaggi, who has lived in the building for seven years.
"I don't know what to say. All my stuff is in there, my personal, my work stuff. It's huge."
4-alarm fire
Hundreds of residents and neighbours all gathered outside to watch as the fire tore through the roof of the building.
The fire was upgraded to a fourth alarm after the flames began working their way through the third floor and into the roof.
Assistant Chief Brian Woznikoski said his firefighters battled the fast-moving fire aggressively.
"It's gone into the roof area, which has made it challenging for us because of the void spaces and also some collapsing in the roof area," he said.
Woznikoski said the first crews called for more firefighters immediately after seeing the fire grow in size quickly.
Firefighters fought the flames for close to five hours before most of the exterior blaze was contained.
Crews remained on scene through the early morning hours dousing hot spots and stubborn flames inside the building.
Another resident told CBC News she thinks the fire may have started after someone left a barbecue cooking, but the cause is still under investigation and firefighters do not believe the fire to be suspicious.
Surrey Councillor Bruce Hayne said 101 people — many of them seniors — had registered for an information meeting regarding the fire and its fallout at the Newton Seniors Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Assistant Battalion Chief Andy George said no injuries have yet been reported as a result of the fire, but that crews have not yet tracked down all of the pets residents have reported missing.
George said crews will enter the building to retrieve essential items, such as medication and identification, but that damage to the building is extensive and it may be some time until residents are allowed back to salvage what remains.
"It's not quite safe yet," George said. "[The damage] is quite severe on the fourth floor, [and there is] water damage on the other floors."
With files from Tanya Fletcher.
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