Firefighters are at the scene (7:30 a.m.) this morning of a fire at the Golden Age Centre seniors home at 135 Worthington St.
Smoke could be seen coming from one of the upper floors and ambulances have also arrived.
"At 7:11 we received a call from the alarm and from a resident saying they had a fire," Fire Chief Jason Whiteley told BayToday.
"Crews arrived in apartment 811 and we arrived to a working fire but we were able to get up there quickly and the fire was extinguished and we have it under control and out at this point (7:45 a.m.).
Flames were visible when fire crews arrived.
Residents did evacuate the building and EMS is on the scene to provide any patient care if needed.
"Nobody has been hurt," confirmed Whiteley. "North Bay Transit is on scene with a bus providing shelter for evacuated residents. Our fire prevention inspector is on scene and he is going to start the investigation shortly to find out the cause of the fire."
High-rise fires always provide a logistical challenge.
"Just because everything is elevated, so it’s bringing our equipment up there, evacuating and making sure people on that fire floor are evacuated," explained Whiteley.
"Once we get up there it is basically like any other fire fight. Usually in apartment buildings, they are kind of like ovens in an enclosed area with cement. The heat contains pretty good in an apartment fire but crews were able to get in there very quickly and get the fire out."
There is a little smoke left on the 8th floor, but the rest of the building is untouched.
"We will be letting people back in shortly," added Whiteley.
