One dead in suspicious Richmond fire

Fire officials are treating as suspicious the Saturday morning fire that tore through a Richmond apartment complex and left one person dead.

Fire and rescue crews were still at the scene of the blaze at 8540 Westminster Highway early Saturday morning after responding to an emergency call shortly after 1:45 a.m., according to Richmond city spokesman Ted Townsend.

"They had to rescue a number of residents from their balconies," said Townsend. "And the fire was so involved that they had to fight it from the perimeter of the building."

Nine people were transported to hospital for injuries including smoke-inhalation and severe burns sustained in the three-storey wooden building between No. 2 and No. 3 roads in Richmond, according to deputy fire chief Tim Wilkinson.

It took 33 firefighters several hours to knock down the blaze while the two buildings on either side of the apartment were also evacuated as a precaution.

Residents and neighbours of the burned out building are currently being housed by the City of Richmond in nearby hotels, said Wilkinson.

There is no indication yet of what started the fire or whether it began in the unit of the deceased, Townsend said, adding that a fire of this nature and magnitude is always treated as suspicious by fire investigators.

tcoyne@vancouversun.com