Halifax Professional Firefighters Association says a fire that broke out at an apartment complex just after midnight on Monday forced almost 200 people out of their homes.
Images from the scene in Middle Sackville, N.S. show large flames, and smoke billowing from the four-story apartment building during an overnight fire.
“Upon arrival, crews encountered heavy smoke and flames and quickly went offensive on the main body of fire. The incident was quickly upgraded to a Third Alarm structure fire,” the firefighters association said.
They added that firefighters were pulled from across the city to put the fire out.
“This incident demanded a massive amount of resources from across the city,” HPFA said.
However, no injuries were reported.
An evacuation order was put into place after a fire broke out at an apartment unit on Hanwell Drive. More than 180 people had to evacuate but that has since been lifted as of 7:30 a.m. Monday.
All residents are allowed to return to their homes, except for one specific address which officials said has extensive damage and remains unsafe.
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An evacuation centre was opened at the Springfield Lake Recreation Centre to assist any residents impacted by the fire, city officials said.
Meanwhile, the firefighters association said it has received several questions about why and how the fire spread so quickly throughout the complex.
They confirmed there were sprinklers in the building but that it did not cover every part of it.
“On arrival, firefighters immediately began an aggressive offensive fire attack. Despite their best efforts, the fire had already spread rapidly up the building and into the roof, where no sprinklers were present,” HPFA said.
They said modern multi-unit construction “often has large concealed spaces.”
“Once fire breaches these voids, it can move quickly between units and into the roof structure, overwhelming fire separations, if present,” they said.
“Fires in today’s buildings can move with incredible speed,” they continued. “That’s why Halifax residents deserve building standards, equipment, and staffing levels that match the risks of modern construction.”
People are asked to avoid the area of 119 Hanwell Drive as firefighting operations are still underway.
The municipality said there is still smoke in the area and local residents are advised to stay inside due to air quality.
The municipality noted Routes 83/183 are still on detour, bypassing the subdivision due to the fire. They said there is currently no service to Beaconsfield Way, Darlington Drive, Hanwell Drive and Swindon Drive. Buses will continue straight on Sackville Drive in both directions.
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