Residents of a four-storey condo building on Bay Street got out safely after a fire broke out just before midnight Tuesday.
Victoria firefighters arrived to find flames shooting from a top-floor balcony and into the roof system at the building between Douglas and Government streets, Victoria Firefighters Association Local 730 said on social media.
Firefighters began an exterior attack before the decision was made to deploy a crew to fight the blaze from the inside.
The crew doused the flames and began removing the ceiling to get at the fire, while a crew on a ladder truck sprayed water onto the roof.
Firefighters were able to get through a locked roof hatch and stop the fire from spreading any further, the post said.
At that point, mutual aid was requested from the Saanich Fire Department, and the fire was fully extinguished after close to four hours.
A crew stayed to watch the scene for the next few hours before fire inspectors came to investigate the cause.
B.C. Transit buses were brought in by Emergency Social Services to provide shelter for the displaced residents.
“Overall an extremely complex fire that tested our firefighters and the leadership of our officers,” the union said.
