A two-alarm fire at a Surrey apartment building forced 13 families out of their homes early Saturday morning.
Five people had to be rescued by firefighters from balconies on the third floor.
The blaze began around 3 a.m. in the north stairwell of the building at 108 Avenue and 150 Street.
Firefighters arrived to find the third floor hallway dense with smoke and some residents trapped in their units.
Three people went to hospital with minor smoke inhalation, while a fourth was treated for cuts.
The building sustained heavy smoke damage on all three floors.
The cause of the fire was not immediately determined nor was it clear how quickly residents could return.
– with files from CTV