Carolyn Zerr managed to escape from her Maple Ridge, B.C., home Friday night with her phone, iPad and the clothes on her back.
She is one of hundreds of residents displaced from her home after a massive fire broke out near Brown Ave. and Edge Street.
It started at a construction site and jumped to the neighbouring apartment building.
“The flames were way higher than even the trees, it was unbelievable,” Zerr said.
Her two cats, Cookie and Oreo, remained behind but firefighters were able to rescue both of them Monday afternoon.
“I’m so happy I’ve got my cats,” Zerr said after the rescue.
“This is the best possible outcome.”
Michael Van Dop, fire chief for the City of Maple Ridge, said crews were first called to the building around 11:45 p.m. Friday.
The five-storey building that was under construction had not yet had any fire protection measures in place, he said, so the fire went up quickly and consumed the building.
“Adjoining properties to the east, the west and the north are all heavily affected,” he said. “We have multiple residences, single-family residences that have been consumed by fire as well as a large apartment block to the north that had significant fire and water damage as a result.”
Van Dop added that the apartment block is no longer habitable and all those residents have been displaced as well.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he added.
“RCMP and fire department in Maple Ridge here are working on a coordinated effort to better understand what caused this fire.”
Harold Carver has lived in the building for five years.
He and his wife were woken up Friday night by the fire and when his wife looked out their balcony, Carver said they could see the surrounding trees glowing orange from the flames.
“We got a knock on the door and it was a fireman who said, ‘You’ve got to get out now,’ so we just left,” he said. “We’d already changed our clothes.”
But they were not able to take anything with them.
“It was just roaring like a blowtorch,” Carver added. “When you saw it you just thought, ‘Wow, we’re in trouble here’.”
He said their cars are still in the underground parking and they are still waiting for any notice from officials as to what is going to happen.
Van Dop said the fire is completely extinguished now and the next steps will be allowing residents into the building to see if any of their belongings can be salvaged and insurance claims can start to be processed.
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