Streets shut down after apartment fire scare in the downtown core
Posted Aug 12, 2016 9:32 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Hundreds of residents were forced from their homes after reports of a fire at a downtown apartment complex.
Shortly after the supper hour, crews were called to Westview Heights at 8th Street and 8th Avenue, Southwest.
Two hundred units were evacuated and residents were forced to wait across the street at Century Gardens.
Acting Battalion Chief Randy McCray confirms a burned out air distribution motor was to blame.
“We got the power shut down in the motor, we started clearing smoke from the building. Most people self evacuated from the building. We do have a few tenants who remained in place, due to mobility issues. Those people were never in any type of danger though. We closely monitored them,” McCray confirmed.
Natasha lives on the 30th floor and said they began to see smoke as they made their way down the staircase.
“Towards the 19th to 18th floor, you could see white smoke go underneath the door towards the stairs. It smelt like plastic and a little bit of rubber.”
The street was shut down for several hours while crews worked to ventilate the building.
No injuries were reported and there’s no word on the cost of damage.
