Several families left homeless after fire

by Amy Jackson-Shelling - Castnet Oct 8, 2012 / 9:47 am
An early morning fire has forced 14 people from their homes Monday. It was around 4am when fire broke out in the basement storage area of a Mission Hill apartment complex on 21st Ave. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.  “It’s undetermined yet. Investigators will be in tomorrow, on Tuesday, to have a look at it,” says Captain Mann from Vernon Fire Rescue. “It originated in a basement storage area in the northeast corner of the building. We received the call about 4 o’clock and firefighters were on scene and initiated an interior attack and stopped the fire from extending into the suites and basically contained it to the storage area, which is pretty good considering the age of the building.” “They did a good job,” says Mann. “Approximately 20 firefighters were on scene. RCMP were on scene on their arrival, when we arrived, and they were helping to evacuate the building.” “We had a van once before that someone lit on fire,” says building owner Jerry Batula. “But don’t have a clue (as to how this fire was started).” While the complex consisted of 18 units, not all were occupied. After the investigation concludes, it will be up to the insurance company and owner to restore power and gas to the building to get the occupants back. Residents registered with EMS have temporarily been housed at a nearby motel.