Brandon condo building left with extensive damage after going up in flames
A Brandon condominium complex has been left with extensive damage after going up in flames on Tuesday.
The fire broke out in a building the 1400 block of Pacific Avenue.
Firefighters worked through the night and into Wednesday to contain the fire and put out hot spots at the four-storey condo building
Jae Johnston, who lives in a condo across the street, said the initial sound of sirens didn’t disturb her.
“My roommate texted me and she was like ‘Have you seen the fire?’ I was like, ‘What fire?’ She’s like, ‘Look out the window,’ and then I went and looked out and there was a big blaze.” she said.
Johnston said the street started filling up with people - some who wanted to see what was going on and others who were being evacuated.
She added the fire was so big that people in her building feared their condo would catch fire as well.
“We were all kind of concerned. Everyone in the building was packing up. Just hoping for the best and expecting the worst,” Johnston said.
Deputy Fire Chief for Brandon Emergency Fire Services Terry Parlow said crews responded to the fire around 8:45pm on Tuesday.
“It was very involved when we attended the scene initially,” Parlow said.
Parlow said firefighters contained the blaze to the one building, and crews worked through the night into Wednesday afternoon.
He noted that no injuries have been reported as a result of this fire.
“All personnel and occupants have been accounted for, and everybody’s safe and well. There’s obviously a lot going on in their lives right now,” he said.
Brandon residents have been reaching out to see how they can help.
The City of Brandon put out a tweet saying: “We have been seeing several requests from the kind residents of Brandon on what/how they can donate to the persons who have been displaced due to the downtown fire last night.”
The city is asking residents to hold off on donating items until the needs of those impacted are assessed.
Johnston said she knows some of the people who live in the condo building
“They’ve lost everything, but they’re doing okay and everyone seems to have a place to go and all that,” she said.
Fire officials sid the top level of the condo has extensive fire damage, while the lower levels were damaged by water.
On Thursday morning, the Brandon Police Service said the cause of the fire was accidental.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.