Multiple residents have been displaced after a fire broke out at the Beaufort Hotel in Port Alberni Saturday morning, fire crews say.
Fire Chief Mike Owens tells CHEK News that crews were called to the Angus Street apartment building around 9 a.m. and were met with heavy smoke coming from a second-floor suite.
Owens says the building’s sprinkler system contained the blaze to the suite of origin, but as a result, there was extensive water damage to the first and second floors.
Before they were able to enter, firefighters had to wait until BC Hydro arrived to shut off the building’s power, according to the fire chief.
He says somewhere between 20 and 30 occupants got out uninjured, and Emergency Social Services and the BC SPCA are helping them find alternative accommodation.
Port Alberni Fire tweeted around 9:45 a.m. that the 4900-block of Angus Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue was closed as crews responded.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and it’s unclear when residents will be able to return to their homes.
PAFD on the scene of a structure fire in the 4900 block of Angus St. Angus is close between 3rd and 4th Ave. #PortAlberni #structurefire pic.twitter.com/fEgHx7ZY6t
— Port Alberni Fire (@portalbernifire) January 14, 2023
CHEK News
