One person dies following New Year’s Eve apartment fire in Duncan

One person has died following a fire in Duncan, south of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, on New Year’s Eve.

Crews were called to a four-storey building in the 2500-block of Lewis Street just before 1 p.m. and saw flames shooting from the top floor suite on the east side.

A resident was rescued from a top-floor unit on the west side.

Several people were either airlifted or otherwise transported to various hospitals with a range of injuries.

0:52 Multiple people injured in Duncan apartment building fire

B.C. Emergency Health Services said paramedics cared for multiple patients on site before transporting eight people in total.

Six patients were transported in stable condition and one in serious condition to hospital by ground ambulance.

One other patient, in critical condition, was cared for by the Critical Care Team at the scene and then flown by air ambulance to a facility to receive a higher level of care, B.C. Emergency Health Services confirmed Friday.

The deceased victim has not been identified at this time.

0:54 Guests evacuated after fire at Maple Ridge hotel

Other displaced residents in the building were taken to the Cowichan Recreation Centre initially until rooms could be found in local hotels.

Fire crews from North Cowichan, Maple Bay, Crofton and Duncan all responded to the blaze.

The cause of the fire has not been released at this time.