Fire investigators are on the scene of a Lower Lonsdale apartment building following a two-alarm fire Thursday afternoon.
The first 9-1-1 calls came in just before 4 p.m. when residents noticed smoke billowing from a fourth-floor balacony at 145 St. Georges Ave.
Dousing the two-alarm fire was a co-operative effort by North Vancouver City Fire Department and District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services members.
The suite’s lone resident was not home at the time.
“Pretty much all of the residents had evacuated. Some stayed to shelter in place probably because of mobility issues, which, in a concert building, is probably a reasonable option,” said assistant fire chief Bob Schreiner. “I would say the suite is probably a complete write-off. Concrete buildings tend to contain the heat very well within the suite. ... It incinerates everything. It’s like a pizza oven, basically.”
The 800 C temperature began melting the balcony railing, Schreiner said.
Most residents were allowed to return to their homes by nightfall after the building’s alarm system and utilities were inspected. Residents on the fourth floor, however, were out of home due to extensive smoke damage in the hallways.
“North Shore Neighbourhood House folks … were really on the ball and actually came to the scene to offer Neighbourhood House as a gathering point for all the residents even before we officially had emergency social services and the emergency management team on scene,” Schreiner said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
