Yahoo Movies Speed of fire that levelled 8-unit complex 'very scary,' says Corner Brook official
The head of protective services for the City of Corner Brook said the rapid spread of a fire through a housing complex early Thursday morning is worrying.
Despite a quick response from firefighters, Todd Flynn said Friday, the fire gutted most of the eight-unit housing complex on Crestview Avenue.
"This one is very scary and concerning to us too actually," Flynn said Friday. "That fire travelled very fast through those eight units."
Corner Brook firefighters arrived at the building, in the Dunfield Park area of the city, within three minutes of getting the call about the fire, around 2 a.m. Thursday and brought the fire under control within 20 minutes.
Flynn says the city strictly adheres to national standards that are designed to limit the speed of a fire's spread.
"The National Building Code tells us … the building has to have fire separation — each unit has fire separation," Flynn said. "And our question is, how did that fire travel through all those units in such a rapid speed, you know?"
No one was injured in the fire, but Flynn said it spread so quickly some of the residents had to escape through windows. But any issues with the structure of the building itself would be under the purview of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, which owns the complex.
"It may be something that our building department manager may raise the question on, no doubt," he said.
The cause of the fire is unknown so far.
"This is a very, very concerning fire, but at this point, we actually we have to leave that with the police and the fire service, the province's fire commissioner, to determine the cause here," said Flynn.
CBC has asked Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, owners of the building, for comment.
