Witnesses are recalling the frantic effort to make sure that residents of a fire-damaged condo complex in Whistler, B.C. made it out of the burning buildings safely.
The fire broke out late Saturday night in the Northstar townhouse complex, a condo development popular with vacation renters.
"At first we didn't take it all that seriously," said Brianna McDonald, who is vacationing from Seattle with her family in a neighbouring building. "My neighbour across the hall said he'd check it out and go see. He came running back about 30 seconds later and said 'Get the kids, get everyone and get out now.'"
She says flames were jumping about 20 feet in the air, leaving her convinced the flames would spread to other buildings.
Other witnesses say the flames picked up speed after spreading to the second unit.
The fire tore through many of the upper floor suites, and the lower floors of the building were damaged by water and smoke.
"People were banging on doors saying 'there's a fire in the unit,'" said Sarah Pratt. "I just tried to grab a couple things, a jacket and shoes pretty much, and make sure we were all out the door. As soon as we were out, we could see the flames and how big it was."
Firefighters say the hotspots and flames were hard to combat.
"It was a difficult location," said Whistler fire department chief Geoff Playfair. "Anytime you have a fire in a peaked roof, it's difficult to get to."
About 50 people were displaced by the blaze, with some losing their possessions. Officials say the cause of the fire is under investigation and there's no estimate yet for the cost of the damage.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Ben Miljure
