Lithium ion batteries are suspected as the cause of a Burnaby apartment fire early Thursday morning that sent 15 people to hospital, three in serious condition.
Firefighters were called to an affordable housing highrise at 7272 Kingsway just before 2:45 a.m., according to assistant fire Chief Gavin Summers.
At the scene, they found thick black smoke that had poured into hallways and stairwells, Summers said, and some residents had fled to the roof of the building.
Firefighters evacuated about a dozen residents to 7264 Kingsway, another BC Housing affordable housing highrise next door, according to Summers.
"They were telling people to stay in their suites, but a lot of people took it upon themselves to get out of their suites, and that's when they got into trouble," he said.
Summers said stairwell doors had apparently been left open, which allowed the smoke to pour into the stairwells.
He described the fire as "complex," involving search and evacuation groups made more complicated by communications issues in the 19-storey building, which is 53 years old and not equipped with repeaters to amplify radio signals.
BC Emergency Health Services said 15 people were taken to hospital, 12 in stable condition and three in serious condition.
"There were a lot of ambulances there," Summers said.
The fire started on the fourth floor, according to Summers, in an apartment "full of" electric scooters and electric bikes with lithium ion batteries, which are the suspected cause of the fire.
This story has been changed to include up-to-date information. The original said 12 people had been taken to hospital, two in critical condition.
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