A four-storey apartment complex in Middle Sackville, N.S., has been severely damaged in an overnight fire, with flames engulfing the top of the building and forcing dozens of people to flee.
The building on Hanwell Drive had 65 units and housed about 180 people, according to Jim Stymiest, assistant chief of operations at Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services.
No one was injured, he said, and everyone is accounted for. However, the building is a “total loss.”
Tenant Shaun Verge, who lives on the third floor with his wife and three children, rushed from his apartment with his family after a fire alarm activated and he looked out his door to see smoke toward the end of the building.
“Just people running through the hallways banging on the doors telling people to get up and get out,” he said of the scene.
The family left with only the clothes they were wearing, leaving behind two cats that Verge hopes will be found by the SPCA.
The damage to the complex is so bad he said he doubts the family will ever be able to return, and his chief concern is now finding somewhere new to live in Halifax’s tight rental market.
“We got to start all over again, right,” he said.
Firefighters were called to the scene shortly after midnight. Video posted to social media showed the building engulfed in flames.
A fire investigator will try to determine the cause of the fire, but Stymiest said it appears it might have started on an exterior deck at the front of the building.
Firefighters were still at the site mid-morning putting out hot spots. All told, about 16 fire trucks and 65 firefighters were called to the scene.
One of the problems crews faced was too little water pressure, with the building located uphill from the nearest city fire hydrants, according to Stymiest.
Firefighters used “relay trucks” to try to boost the pressure. They tapped in to three fire hydrants, but all were on the same main line, Stymiest said.
“We did have a water volume issue, just could not seem to get enough water here,” he said.
Some pets were rescued and firefighters were searching for others.
Steve Bussey, a district fire chief, said the top floor of the building is “largely gone,” with the three floors beneath suffering heavy water damage.
RCMP evacuated surrounding homes, however those residents have since been allowed back into the neighbourhood. Those who lived in the damaged building are not allowed to return to their apartments.
A news release from the municipality said an evacuation centre is open at the Springfield Lake Recreation Centre, 266 Lakeview Ave., Middle Sackville, to help any residents impacted by the fire.
