Firefighters battled a balcony blaze in Pitt Meadows on Wednesday afternoon.
Dark black smoke and significant flames were spotted billowing out of a tenth-floor balcony on the northeast side of a relatively new apartment building at 12079 Harris Rd., on the corner of Ford Road, just before 2 p.m.
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“Smoke and flames were showing from the balcony. There was large flames rolling up and over. Glass was shattering and people were evacuating,” said Pitt Meadows fire chief Mike Larsson.
RCMP were already evacuating people when fire arrived, said Larsson. Pitt Meadows fire crews helped evacuate those with mobility issues.
Firefighters, with their initial attack, were able to knock the fire down within about 10 to 15 minutes, he added.
A sprinkler did activate on the balcony, helping quell the blaze.
However, flames did manage to get inside the building after the balcony door shattered, Larsson explained. Thankfully, he added, a second sprinkler went off, keeping the fire damage restricted primarily to the outside of the building.
Firefighters could be seen spraying the ceiling of the burnt balcony on the top floor of the apartment building.
No injuries were reported.
A fire crew from the neighbouring community of Maple Ridge was called for support, but the Pitt Meadows crew was able to contained the fire before they arrived.
Larsson was still trying to track down the owner of the unit at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
Everybody is expected to be able to go back to their units except for the unit where the fire took place and the unit below that is expected to have extensive water damage.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, noted Larsson.
Is there more to the story? Email: ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue put out a balcony fire on the corner of Harris Road and Ford Road. (Colleen Flanagan/The News)
Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue put out a balcony fire on the corner of Harris Road and Ford Road. (Colleen Flanagan/The News)
Residents evacuated from a building wait and watch as fire crews attend to a balcony fire on the corner of Harris Road and Ford Road in Pitt Meadows. (Colleen Flanagan/The News)
