3 hurt in apartment fire in downtown Edmonton

Investigators try to pinpoint cause of downtown fire An investigation continues into the cause of a downtown apartment fire near 105 Avenue and 93 Street. Touria Izri reports.

EDMONTON — Flames filled an apartment building suite in the area of 105 Avenue and 93 Street Tuesday morning.

Emergency crews received a call at 9:25 a.m. of smoke coming out of the unit.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Six firetrucks and 24 firefighters responded, rescuing two residents from the burning suite. Firefighters helped them escape through the balcony. They were taken to hospital for precautionary measures and suffered minor injuries, officials said.

One firefighter was also injured and was treated on scene.

Alex Coates, a resident of the building, recalled returning from a walk with his dog to see smoke coming from the building.

“There was people trying to pull their pets out and it was chaotic,” Coates said.

“The smoke was billowing out. The windows were still closed but exploded after a couple of minutes,” added Simon Munsterman, who was working on the building at the time of the fire.

Fire crews were unsure of when residents would be allowed to return.