A man injured in a fire in Moncton, N.B., over the weekend remains in hospital on Monday.
The Moncton Fire Department was called to a fire at a 10-storey apartment building on Cornhill Street around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
The fire was contained to the eighth floor of The Lions Tower.
One person was rescued, treated on scene and sent to hospital.
S/Sgt. Nick Arbour of the Codiac Regional RCMP said a 59-year-old man was sent to hospital with serious injuries. As of Monday afternoon, he said the man was still hospitalized.
According to Arbour, the cause of the fire was accidental and is not considered to be suspicious.
Moncton Fire Department Platoon Chief Paul Bruens told CTV News the sprinkler system was activated, resulting in water damage to some units.
A total of 19 units with 19 people were evacuated.
Raymond Richard lives on the fourth floor and arrived home Saturday night while the fire was in progress.
“Obviously it started on the eighth floor and it was quite intense and we were all advised to stay outside,” said Richard.
Richard and other tenants said they were grateful busses were provided by the City of Moncton so they could stay warm while they waited to be allowed to go back inside.
“But unfortunately, fire is not a picnic. It was quite chaos,” said Richard.
Lions Tower resident Yvon Savoie was home at the time of the fire.
“They said we weren’t allowed to go back in there because they were scared about electricity, catch on fire. The water went all the way down to the first floor,” said Savoie.
Tenant Diba Leaman isn’t too worried about the people who were displaced.
“No, they were put in hotels so they’re being taken care of,” said Leaman.
Department of Social Development spokesperson René Doucette said Housing New Brunswick (HNB) is assisting residents affected by the fire and is providing temporary lodging and meals for those unable to return to their apartment units.
“HNB staff were immediately on-site to help residents navigate the situation and continue to help support displaced tenants during this difficult time,” said Doucette in an email.
Doucette did not say how many people HNB staff are assisting and citing confidentiality, wouldn’t comment on the status of the man injured in the fire.
Richard said he feels fortunate that he can stay at his unit.
“But not everybody was so fortunate,” said Richard.
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