Fire surprises residents in Columbia Gardens apartment complex

Fire trucks raced to the Columbia Gardens apartment complex on Wednesday, Mar. 2 after receiving a 911 emergency call at about 5:25 p.m.

“Upon arrival fire crews found smoke pouring out of a second floor apartment and fire crews began an aggressive interior fire attack,” fire chief Rob Girard said in a statement released from Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services.

The aftermath of a Mar. 2 fire at the Columbia Gardens apartment complex in Revelstoke’s Columbia Park neighbourhood. Photo: Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services

“Within minutes we confirmed that everyone was out of the building.”

A nearby resident described the scene as busy. Two fire trucks, a water tender truck, a ladder truck and three command vehicles attended the scene, a total of 22 fire personnel.

“Attack teams knocked down the fire, ventilated and extinguished externally a burning mattress and room contents,” Girard said.

“The apartment received heavy fire damage and we were fortunate it did not spread into the attic which would have been catastrophic.”

Girard was pleased with the efforts from his team.

“This building has a lot of residents and I am very proud of our quick response time of four minutes,” he said. “That quick response and effective fire attack made all the difference in this fire.”

The cause of fire is under investigation.