The Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department was called to one of the apartments on Doherty Drive in West Quesnel over the weekend.

Fire Chief Sylvain Gauthier says the call came in just after 4 o’clock on Saturday afternoon…

“Upon arrival smoke was seen coming out of the first floor apartment and the attic, so a second group page was initiated and we had a total of 20 fire fighters, and three fire engine responded.”

Gauthier says they quickly knocked the initial fire down in one of the units on the ground floor, but then noticed that it had spread…

“The fire had made its way into the void spaces right behind the stove and the kitchen fan, so by doing that the fire ended up going onto the second and third floor of the apartments just above where the fire was located at.    So there was a lot of smoke damage and walls were torn apart, just to find the extent of the fire on the second and third floor.”

Gauthier says no one was hurt…

“The call was made through the 9-1-1 system. And all occupants of the building were evacuated at the time, and they’ve all been given ESS, Emergency Social Services assistance.   They’re all staying in hotels for the next few nights.”

Gauthier says at this point they believe that they will be allowed to return home on Tuesday.

He says he believes that around 40 people were impacted.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.