Around 100 Coquitlam residents were forced to flee their homes in the middle of the night Thursday (March 7) after a fire broke out in their apartment building.

Assistant Fire Chief Chris Fox says 911 calls started rolling in at 1:52 a.m., with people reporting smoke and flames coming out of a multi-storey building in the 500-block of Gatensbury Street. When firefighters arrived on scene, conditions had worsened and they could see heavy fire in four apartment units.

Most residents made it out safely themselves, but Fox says crews had to use ladders to rescue two people from their balconies. They were treated for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital for evaluation.

The blaze was so large, Fox says they had to call in help from Burnaby, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. In total, 68 firefighters worked through the night to get the fire under control. It was knocked down by 6:30 a.m., but crews remained on scene throughout the day Thursday.

One firefighter got his foot trapped after a floor partially collapsed and was taken to hospital with a leg injury.

Fox says 22 of the apartment鈥檚 units were heavily damaged and many others were impacted by smoke and water, as well. He said around 100 people have been displaced.

Investigators are working to determine the fire鈥檚 cause.

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