Two people hospitalized after structure fire spreads to two homes in Port Coquitlam
Two people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation on Tuesday morning after a structure fire spread to multiple homes in Port Coquitlam.
Crews from two Port Coquitlam fire halls responded to the incident on the 1800 block of Pitt River Road at around 11:30 a.m., said Port Coquitlam fire chief Blake Clarkson.
Firefighters as well as members of the public, helped rescue multiple people inside the two residential homes, Clarkson said. Both houses sustained significant damage.
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He added firefighters needed to act quickly to stop the fire from spreading to other homes, noting the close proximity of the structures.
“It’s a little bit challenging when there are two structures on fire at one time,” Clarkson said. “The crews did an excellent job containing it.”
Along with the two individuals injured as a result of the blaze, Clarkson said one responding firefighter was also assessed for smoke inhalation on scene, but he was eventually medically cleared.
The fire was extinguished at approximately 1:30 p.m., but firefighters remained on scene for several hours afterwards checking for hot spots.
Clarkson said an inquiry into the cause of the fire will be conducted by fire investigators, but it appears to be accidental based on early witness reports.
Local residents reported seeing the smoke from a wide area across Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam on social media. One woman, who posted pictures of the scene online, said a man passing by rushed to help a woman escape from her basement suite, stating he saved her life.
The Coquitlam RCMP closed Pitt River Road between Langan Avenue and Cameron Avenue just after noon, and it remained closed at 3:30 p.m.
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