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A fire at a motel in Burnaby sent three people to hospital

Motel fire sent 3 to hospital

A Burnaby motel had dozens of guests out in the cold Saturday morning due to an intense fire inside one suite.

Fire crews arrived around 2 a.m. after being notified of the blaze at the Motel located at 401 Inn on Boundary Road.

Assistant Fire Chief Greg Young told CTV News that firefighters came across immediate smoke and flames. The second alarm fire required 11 fire trucks.

“There was an occupant rescued from the second-floor balcony when crews arrived,” Young said.

“That person was provided (with) medical attention.”

According to Young, three people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation but all other individuals that were staying in the fully booked motel were accounted for by the team.

Crews were able to contain the fire to one suite and put it out, but several other motel suites were damaged by water.

“They did a good job and knocked it down quite quickly as it was quite chaotic when they first arrived,” Young said.

One guest, Ana Nardelli-Adao recalled and described the panicked scene when she and her boyfriend first heard fire alarms and yelling.

“People were banging on the doors screaming ‘fire’ and telling people to get out,” said.

“(Now) we don’t know where we’re going to go or if we will get our money back.”

Displaced guests were provided with a transit bus by the motel to stay in and keep warm.

“We’ve been here all night long freezing with nowhere to go,” Nardelli-Adao explained. She added she was hesitant to move inside the bus shelter with concerns about COVID-19 transmission.

Two other guests who did go inside the bus shelter described having to escape the building. Luisa Castillo and Alain Dumont went out the balcony of their suite on the first floor.

“We opened the door, there was a lot of smoke, you couldn’t see anything it was dark,” Dumont said.

“Then we looked outside and there was a big fire and a balcony lit on fire. You could hear the crackling.”

- With files from CTV News Vancouver



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