Vancouver firefighters knock down blaze that threatened Strathcona apartment block

Firefighters in Vancouver extinguished a blaze at an apartment building in the Strathcona area on Monday evening.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) say they were called out to a building in the 700-block of Jackson Avenue, near the corner of Union Street and Dunlevy Avenue, around 4:45 p.m. PT on Monday.

They say they found smoke and flames coming from a balcony on the third floor of a three-storey walk-up apartment building.

Firefighters say there were no immediate reports of injuries, and there was a possibility displaced residents could go back.

"We might have two units that were affected from, like, a connected balcony," Matthew Trudeau, VFRS's public information officer, told CBC News around 5:20 p.m.

"We're kind of working on that right now as far as how much smoke damage is inside."

Trudeau said crews believe most of the fire damage has been contained to the exterior of the building, but they would check the roof area to make sure.

He credited residents and a working fire alarm for quickly notifying crews and preventing significant damage to the structure.

"We're about four blocks from the fire hall, and we got a quick notification in getting here," he said.

"Again, another minute or two, this could have been a very different fire."

Trudeau said 10 fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, and around 25 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.