150 residents displaced after fire hits apartment building in New Westminster, B.C.

NEW WESTMINSTER — Around 150 residents are without homes after a fire gutted an apartment building in New Westminster, B.C., and trapped multiple residents on balconies, officials said.

The City of New Westminster said the fire started at around 1:30 p.m. at 905 Fourth Avenue on Friday, in an apartment building with 42 units.

The city said firefighters used ladders to rescue multiple residents who were trapped on their balconies, while others were evacuated from inside the building as the fire tore through apartment units.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, the city said, though crews remained on scene that afternoon to extinguish hot spots.

BC Emergency Health Services said it provided emergency medical care to four people at the scene and took three people to hospital.

Among the hospitalized were two firefighters and one resident, the city said.

A nearby apartment building was also evacuated as a precaution, but the city said all residents are accounted for.

The apartment building that caught fire was “lost,” New Westminster mayor Patrick Johnstone said in a video posted to social media Saturday.

He said anyone displaced by the fire should go to the city’s Century House senior centre where emergency social services are co-ordinating shelter, food and clothing.

The New West Neighbourhood House is accepting donations, while Lord Kelvin Elementary School is accepting clothing donations for those impacted.

“We please ask folks limit donations right now to clothes and money, as that’s really what these residents need to get through the next few days,” the mayor said.

The city is accepting monetary donations, and several independent GoFundMe donation pages have appeared online to support those affected by the fire.

“Thank you New West for showing up again,” Johnstone said of the community efforts.

The city said fire crews were using large amounts of water and an excavator to get the remaining hot spots under control and access hard to reach areas.

The three-alarm fire required a response from off-duty firefighters and the Burnaby fire department, as well as eight firefighting vehicles that included two aerial units.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2026.

The Canadian Press