A fire gutted a basement apartment Wednesday morning but a quick response by the Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services prevented it from spreading to the rest of the building.
"It was a good save," said Revelstoke Fire Chief Rob Girard as firefighters mopped up the fire.
The fire started in a basement unit of the Valair Apartments at the corner of Victoria Road and Wales Street at around 11 a.m.
The unit was unoccupied at the time and RCMP said only one person was at home in the apartment building. The resident said she heard someone going up and down the stairs, knocking on all the doors.
"He said, 'Get out the building because there's a fire," she said. She was on holidays and still in her pyjamas at the time – she didn't have time to get dressed before rushing out.
Black smoke was billowing out of the front and back windows of the apartment and man was seen spraying a fire extinguisher into the front window when the fire department showed up.
Four fire trucks, two ambulances, and two RCMP officers were on scene.
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A firefighter gets suited up to go inside the burning apartment unit. Photo by Alex Cooper/Revelstoke Times Review
Several dozen firefighters were on scene, with several rushing in and out of the apartment battling the blaze. Victoria Road was closed to alternating single lane traffic as the fire was tackled.
The resident of the apartment was seen talking to Luana Kleini of Emergency Social Services.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.