New Westminster apartment fire sends resident, 2 firefighters to hospital

Firefighters battle a fire in an apartment building in New Westminster on Friday, July 10, 2026. (CTV News)

A fire broke out at an apartment building in New Westminster Friday afternoon, sending one resident and two firefighters to hospital.

New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services says it responded to a first alarm apartment fire in the 900 block of Fourth Avenue around 1:30 p.m.

“On arrival, crews reported multiple units on fire with residents on balconies,” NWFRS Chief Erin Williams told CTV News. “Several residents were rescued using ground ladders while crews did an interior attack and assisted residents to evacuate.”

Williams says the fire was upgraded to a third alarm, triggering a second dispatch from the Burnaby Fire Department and a call-out of off-duty NWFRS crews.

Eight apparatus—including two aerial trucks—are currently on scene, according to Williams, who describes the response by NWFRS as “phenomenal” under extreme fire conditions.

The New Westminster Police Department says road closures are in effect on Fourth Avenue between Eighth and 10^th streets, as well as on Ninth and 10^th streets between Fourth and Fifth avenues.