One person was injured and about 100 were forced from their homes by a fire early this morning in a Victoria apartment.
Victoria firefighters raced to the fire at an apartment building at 3187 Shelbourne St. around 4 a.m.
“It was a kitchen fire . . . there was a fire on the stove and it went up the vent,” said Lt. Brad Sifert.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but the stove might have been left on the night before and sparked the fire, investigators said. Flames and smoke travelled up the stove vent and into the ceiling, wall and floorboards, which firefighters had to rip into to contain.
The residents were warned by a smoke alarm. The building manager came into the apartment to help and had to be treated for smoke inhalation, said Sifert.
When residents evacuated the 61-unit building, they were transferred to a B.C. Transit bus to keep warm and then to Crystal Pool for shelter.
They should be able to return home later today. The cost of damage to the building is unknown.
