A fire broke out in Langley near 80th Avenue and 208th Street at around 9:30pm on Monday.
About a hundred people have been forced to evacuate.
The fire spread quickly, engulfing two towers by the time crews arrived on scene. Firefighters cut through the wall of a nearby condos in order to control the fire and stop it from spreading out of control.
“There’s significant damage, there’s at least three condominium buildings and several townhouse complexes that are completely gone,” said Assistant Chief Andy Hewitson, of the Township of Langley Fire Department.
Hewitson also added that it was tough to keep the fire contained as the buildings are so close together and some are interconnected.
“One of the biggest challenges we had is there was a 1,000 pound propane tank that was in between the two of the buildings. So we had to call an excavator to come in and actually remove that while the fire was while the fire was going on,” he explained.
“It truly is one of those fires that you rarely see in your career,” he said. “So it’s a very big event,” Hewitson stated.
Fortunately the fire originated in condos that were under construction and therefore predominantly vacant. There are no reported injuries to any residents nor first responders.
A nearby elementary school, Willoughby Elementary was closed due to smoke and safety concerns. The evacuated residents were accommodated there.
There are no comments as to the cause and origin of the fire as of yet. Crews are expected to be on scene for several days as an investigation is underway.