Almost 50 Port Hardy tenants have been forced from their homes after a fire early Wednesday morning rendered the four-storey Creekside Apartments uninhabitable.
The fire was contained to the corner apartment on the fourth floor and no injuries were reported as a result of the blaze at Granville Street and Highland Drive. The unit was fully engulfed in flames when firefighting crews arrived around 4 a.m..
“It was glowing and I could hear sparks. It was terrifying,” tenant Teresa Horbach told CHEK News.
The fire alarm is sometimes pulled as a prank, confusing tenants who didn’t want to believe it was happening until their neighbours were “banging on the doors, saying ‘It’s a real fire get out,’ ” said Robert Broadfoot.
The town got its fire ladder truck into service just last week, a factor that saved the building from more extensive damage. Affected residents will be temporarily housed at the Port Hardy Civic Centre.
