Five families living in LaSalle have lost everything they owned to a devastating fire.
The three-alarm fire broke out at 2:30 a.m. Friday in a 24-unit apartment building on Airlie St.
However not every unit was occupied. The top two floors were vacant and in the middle of renovations.
The flames were fierce and quickly spread to the roof, with the fire raging out of control for several hours.
About two hours after the fire began several walls collapsed, as did the roof.
Firefighters told CTV that everyone inside the building is believed to have escaped safely.
The fire was extinguished several hours after it began, but flared up again around 8 a.m. The firefighters on the scene were able to put out the flames in a matter of minutes.
The Red Cross provided a bus to shelter residents, and early Friday morning took them to a building where they will be able to stay for the next three days.
Firefighters said residential blazes are more common during the holiday season as people are cooking more.
"I've been doing this almost 20 years and it happens every year," said firefighter Danny Ciavaglia. "It's awful. Every year, we see the same thing over and over and it's unfortunate but usually it happens to peoplpe who have little or no insurance at all. So these people end up losing everything at this time of year. It humbles you."
There is no word yet on the cause of the fire. Neighbours said the fire department had often been called to the building for false alarms and investigators are looking into whether the fire was set criminally but also said the renovations may have been a factor.
