Vernon firefighters hauled a person from a burning building early Thursday morning.
Vernon Fire Rescue Services responded to a report of a structure fire around 3:15 a.m. in a garden style apartment building in the 3900 block of 29th Avenue April 6.
Firefighters saw smoke coming from the bedroom window of a single unit upon arrival.
One person was already outside when crews arrived, but a second person was still inside the building. Firefighters rescued the second tenant while the fire was knocked down and extinguished.
“Thanks to the quick actions of the crew, the tenant was rescued and the fire was contained to the single suite, which has smoke and fire damage,” said Deputy Fire Chief Alan Hofsink. “One person was taken to hospital by paramedics and Emergency Support Services was called in to assist the tenants with emergency shelter.”
Every second counts during a fire response, and crews need to receive as accurate information as possible to determine the location of an incident, which didn’t happen in this case.
“Unfortunately, an incorrect address was provided to dispatch when the call first came in this morning, which meant crews had to search for the location. This added about an extra minute to the response time,” said Hofsink.
“It was a good reminder for residents and visitors to know the address of where they’re staying at all times, in case an emergency should happen and they need to call for help.”
The cause of the fire has been deemed accidental.
The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP also attended the scene.
Firefighters cleared the scene about an hour after arrival.
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