On the evening on Monday, May 8th, a blaze engulfed a View Royal apartment suite in the 300-block of Island Highway which would take the life of a pet cat and leave its owners recovering in the hospital.
View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst says that crews were able to contain the fire to just one suite within the building, saving the lives and homes of many.
The fire hall received a call late at night that “several people were trapped in the building”; however, when crews arrived all occupants had made it out of the building.
Smoke inhalation caused two residents to be taken to hospital to be treated for their internal wounds and Hurst says that firefighters found a cat unresponsive in the initial search.
CPR was conducted on the cat for 30 minutes but the cat unfortunately lost its life to its own smoke inhalation wounds.
Hurst says other animals have yet to be found and remain unaccounted for.
In total, just four residents were displaced by the fire and those individuals will receive supports from View Royal Emergency Support Services.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
