Two treated for smoke inhalation after fire breaks out at Esquimalt apartment building

Two people were taken to hospital for treatment of minor smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Esquimalt, B.C., on Tuesday.

Esquimalt Fire Rescue assistant fire chief Neal Widdifield says crews were called to the apartment near the corner of Lampson and Lyall streets.

When firefighters arrived, no fire could be seen from the exterior of the building. However, when fire crews moved indoors they spotted smoke coming from the second floor of the structure.

"The building was evacuated," said Widdifield. "They evacuated with the alarms."

Firefighters made their way into a second floor suite where smoke was coming from. Once inside the suite, they found the fire was "mostly extinguished by the tenant," according to Widdifield.

Two people were taken to hospital for treatment of minor smoke inhalation, firefighters say. No other injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though Widdifield says it started in the kitchen area of the suite.

"We're now done with the scene here and everybody is allowed back into the building," he said.

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