Skip to content

New West man rescued from roof of burning house

A New Westminster resident is safe after being rescued from a burning building. New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services attended a fire in a three-storey, wood-frame rooming house in the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue shortly after 6 a.m. today.

A New Westminster resident is safe after being rescued from a burning building.

New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services attended a fire in a three-storey, wood-frame rooming house in the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue shortly after 6 a.m. today.

Deputy fire chief John Hatch said five occupants were in the home at the time of the fire, including one resident who had climbed from the third floor to a small roof on the second floor. Firefighters used a ladder to rescue the resident from the roof.

“We assisted five people out of the building, one from the side roof,” Hatch told the Record. “Fortunately, there were no injuries.”

Hatch said the situation was likely very scary for the resident, as the flames would have been within several feet of him.

“The crews responded very quickly and made a great effort rescuing that occupant from the roof,” he said. “I am sure that person was scared for their life.”

Hatch said a resident living across the street called 911 after spotting the fire.

“Smoke and flames were coming from the front of the building,” Hatch said. “Smoke and flames were also seen from the lane side.”

According to Hatch, firefighters from the West End fire hall quickly arrived at the scene and found a resident on the roof calling for help.

“The kitchen and living room area were fully involved when the first crews arrived on scene,” he said. “The crews did an excellent job suppressing the fire.”

Some firefighters rescued the man from the roof and ensured the other tenants were out of the house, while others got to work extinguishing the fire.

“They made an internal attack from the rear of the building. It took a period of time,” Hatch said. “They saved the structure. There is extensive damage to the interior of the building but the structure itself is saved.”

The city’s Emergency Social Services staff is dealing with the tenants, who are now without homes. All of the contents of the living area on the middle floor of the house have been destroyed, and the entire house has suffered extensive smoke and water damage.

New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services is working with the New Westminster Police Department to confirm the number of tenants who lived in the home and to determine the cause of the fire. The department is also liaising with the home’s owner about making sure the building is secured.

Hatch said it’s too early to know the cause of the fire, which appeared to have started in a living area on the main floor that contains a kitchen and living room.

The second-alarm fire occurred shortly before shift change, so additional firefighters were called out to the scene. Burnaby Fire Department assisted by agreeing to respond to other calls in New West.