Firefighters douse the flames  at the 10th Avenue apartment building- 250news photo

Prince George, B.C.- “I heard my neighbor yelling ‘fire, fire’ “ says Andrew Bergen.  He  and wife Zainab Kotadia  own the unit across the hall from the apartment  that went up in flames in the 10th Avenue apartment building this afternoon.  Zainab Kotadia says she grabbed her wallet as she headed out to safety “We have insurance, so we are o.k., and hopefully there isn’t any damage to our unit.”

Too upset to speak  with  250News, the lone occupant of the  unit that  was at the centre of the fire,  quietly walked away, wearing only socks on his feet.  He hadn’t even taken time to grab a pair of shoes when he made his escape from the burning unit.  Neighbours say  he did not have tenant insurance.

The Prince George Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Cliff Warner says the fire call from the 3100 block of 10th Avenue  at Central Street east, came in just before 3:30 this afternoon.

14 firefighters from three halls responded to the blaze at the apartment block.  “When we arrived on scene there were flames showing form the second story of this apartment building.” There were no injuries.

Deputy Chief Warner says at this time, the cause of the fire and damage estimate are not known.

( at right, firefighters  in the upper level of the  2 storey unit, check for hot spots)

It is likely the stretch of 10th between Highway 97 and Johnson Street will remain closed for several hours  yet as fire fighters ensure there are no hot spots in the building.

Fire investigators will be on scene  tomorrow to  determine the cause and  extent of damage.