Traffic on 27th Avenue was blocked off Friday afternoon due to a house fire that sent one person to hospital with undisclosed injuries.
Vernon fire crews were called to the 5000 27th Avenue for a report of flames and smoke coming from a two-storey duplex around 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 2. Crews entered the building and discovered at least one of the two units had a fire inside the ground level.
The blaze was knocked down quickly but the multi-unit residential building suffered damage on the front entrance and balcony area.
“They quickly pulled a line and knocked the fire down from the front entrance area,” said Vernon communications manager Christy Poirier.
Traffic is blocked both ways on 27th Avenue in #Vernonbc as crews respond to a residential fire. @VernonNews pic.twitter.com/AijPfKunZb
— Brendan Shykora (@brendanshykora) April 2, 2021
Once additional resources were on scene, firefighters were able to enter the duplex to extinguish hot spots and confirm there was no extension into other parts of the structure.
“All occupants of the duplex were outside when emergency crews arrived,” said Deputy Chief Scott Hemstad.
The occupants were assessed by BC Ambulance Service members and one person was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries, Hemstad confirmed.
The blaze will displace all residents of the duplex while a fire investigation takes place. The residence will be given support through the city’s Emergency Support Services program.
“The unit that contained the fire has sustained heavy smoke damage and some fire damage. The adjacent unit has also sustained some smoke damage,” Hemstad said.
BC Hydro crews arrived on scene with a powerline truck, however there appear to be no outages in the area. Vernon North Okanagan RCMP also attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and under investigation.
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