Vancouver highrise apartment destroyed in fire [Video]

Cole Mcleod was home with his roommate in their 21st floor apartment on Monday afternoon when the fire alarm went off in the downtown Vancouver building. Then, he smelled smoke.

“So we went into the master bedroom, and then there was a bunch of smoke billowing from the unit below. And that’s when we realized it’s a real problem. And by the time we were down the stairs, because the elevators were locked, all the firemen were already on the way up,” said McLeod.

When they got down to street level, three apartments had been engulfed by fire, including their own. McLeod watched in horror as debris rained down from the inferno above.

“It was pretty scary stuff,” he said.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services captain Matthew Trudeau said it was a dangerous scene for pedestrians below.

“We had material coming off hitting our vehicle and embers coming off as well. While there were still aluminum pieces, glass pieces that were coming off, right on to Nicola Street,” said Trudeau.

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