20 people displaced after overnight fire in North Vancouver apartment building

Twenty people have been displaced from their homes after an overnight fire in a North Vancouver, B.C., apartment complex in the 3000-block of Princess Avenue.

District of North Vancouver Fire andRescue said several 911 calls about the fire came in around 1:15 a.m. PT Friday, with reports that multiple people were caught on an upper floor, including one person in a wheelchair.

Firefighters arrived to find visible flames and smoke billowing from the bedroom of an upper-floor apartment, Assistant Fire Chief David Dales said.

Residents of the building had rescued one person who was in medical distress, and firefighters administered first aid before the person was taken to hospital. The resident in a wheelchair was also taken to hospital.

The fire did not spread to other units, said Dales, but other apartments in the complex were severely damaged from smoke.

Dales said the building had narrow stairwells, making for a challenging operation for his crew. But he said he was heartened to see neighbours offering up help to displaced residents even during the pandemic.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.