Fire at Port Alberni apartment building displaces residents

A fire in a converted hotel in Port Alberni displaced the residents of 20 homes Saturday morning. (Twitter/@portalbernifire)

A fire in a converted hotel in Port Alberni displaced the residents of 20 homes Saturday morning.

Port Alberni Fire Department Chief Mike Owens said crews were called to the 4900 block of Angus Street, between Third and Fourth avenues, because of a fire alarm activation.

When they arrived, they found that there was smoke coming from one of the apartments in the building and called in an additional team.

The blaze itself was fairly small, and the building's sprinkler system kept it contained to the unit where it originated, Owens said.

Because of hoarding in the suite, however, it took firefighters a while to ensure the fire was out. In the meantime, other units in the building suffered smoke and water damage, and water from the sprinkler system threatened the building's electrical wiring, the fire chief said.

Owens said BC Hydro turned off power to the building and firefighters ordered all residents to evacuate.

Emergency Support Services was called in to find short-term accommodations for the displaced residents, and the BC SPCA was helping those with pets, Owens said.

He also thanked the Bread of Life Centre for providing residents meals and a place to go on Saturday.

The fire chief was unable to say when residents would be able to return to the building.

No one was injured in the fire, and the cause is still under investigation.