Man dies in Victoria apartment fire
A man is dead after an apartment fire Monday morning in the James Bay neighbourhood of Victoria.
The Victoria Fire Department received several 911 calls about the fire in a top-floor unit of the Village Green Apartments at 118 Menzies Street.
A tenant living below the unit that caught fire says she was jolted awake by a loud noise, heard yelling and ran from her suite around 8 a.m.
"I heard a bad, bad, bad noise," says Sofia Boulede. "I’m afraid because I don’t know what’s happened."
Victoria police say detectives with the major crime unit are investigating, however the fire is not believed to be criminal.
"We’re treating the [cause of the] fire as unknown at this time," said acting fire chief Dan Atkinson.
The building sustained significant damage but no other injuries were reported, police said.
THOUGHT IT WAS A TEST
Two tenants tell CTV News the apartment complex was supposed to have a fire alarm test Monday, and initially the residents thought they could ignore the alarms when they started to sound.
"I went back to sleep and then all of a sudden somebody is banging on the door and telling us to get out," says resident Cheryl Rinehert.
A mother named Danyelle had a similar reaction, but her daughter saw the smoke and flames outside.
"I ran outside and it was literally bellowing from the apartment," she says. "I couldn’t believe it. I thought, 'Those are our neighbours and people’s homes just gone in an instant.'"
Atkinson said six to eight units were likely damaged in the blaze and ensuing response.
"Given the fire load and the amount of water required to put the fire out, I would suspect the water and smoke damage will extend into multiple suites," the acting fire chief said.
Boulede and her husband are temporary residents from Morocco who’ve been living at the complex since the start of the year.
She says she’s most worried about the survival of the government documents supporting their residency.
Many people in the neighbourhood stopped to watch firefighters work, expressing their concern.
Firefighters were seen entering the building with axes and a chainsaw. Later, firefighters were cutting through the building’s roof with the saw.
"It’s kind of scary because so many families live in that complex," says community member Jim Hill.
Another tenant of the Village Green Apartments says she was terrified.
"I’m in the building right next door," she said. "It’s really windy today so I wasn’t sure if it was going to spread over to our building."
Atkinson says the fire had been burning for a while before crews were alerted to the scene – and that a lot of stuff inside the unit of origin made the fight to suppress the flames challenging.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.