Several B.C. families are homeless after a massive fire spread through a townhouse complex Sunday night.
The blaze tore through eight units in Pitt Meadows, a municipality about 40 kilometres east of downtown Vancouver. When firefighters arrived at the scene, the flames had already spread to four apartments.
Investigators say the fire likely began when a pick-up truck parked nearby burst into flames.
“The flames were shooting out of the windows, like shooting out of the truck. And at that point it was catching the carport on fire,” the truck’s owner, Leslie Farkas, told CTV Vancouver. “Lost everything unfortunately.”
One person was brought to hospital in stable condition and 17 people have been displaced by the fire, according to Pitt Meadows Fire Chief Don Jolley.
Nearly all the affected residents were taken in by their families, Jolley said.
“All but one family went to relatives. One family has been put up in a hotel by Emergency Social Services,” he said.
Additional fire crews were called in from nearby Maple Ridge to quell the blaze, and firefighters continued to put out hotspots early Monday morning.
Five units were completely destroyed by the fire, officials say, while three sustained considerable smoke and water damage.
Investigators remained on site Monday afternoon as they worked to pinpoint the fire’s cause. Several vehicles have been removed from the scene and are being treated as potential evidence.
With files from CTV Vancouver
