FIRE DAMAGES OAK BAY APARTMENTS

Oak Bay’s most significant fire of the year caused heavy damage to two units in a 15-unit apartment building near the Oak Bay Beach Hotel on Wednesday night.

The fire at the three-storey 1950s building at 2768 Satellite St. was called in just before 8 p.m., apparently caused by soldering work being done on a radiator for a renovation in one of the units, said a man who told the Times Colonist he had been doing the work.

No injuries were reported but the building was evacuated thanks to the fire-alarm system.

“You can’t stand the noise,” said tenant Donna MacIntyre, wearing an orange winter jacket in the evening cool beside the hotel.

“When I got out, it was terrible. There was big black smoke all over,” said tenant Hanna Magnusson, 24, who has lived in the building for about two years. “That’s when I got scared.”

She and her husband quickly grabbed their passports, some clothes and their computers.

“It’s the largest fire we’ve had this year,” said Oak Bay Fire Chief Dave Cockle.

Four firefighters who arrived first were able to mostly put out the flames using fire hoses before reinforcements arrived from Victoria and Saanich, he said.

Flames and heavy black smoke could be seen coming through the roof above the thirdfloor blaze. Some tenants were expected to spend the night at the adjacent hotel due to the damage.

Five large fire trucks were squeezed onto the narrow road and a sixth was on Beach Drive.

Patrons of the Snug restaurant crowded the balcony overlooking the apartment.

One person, who didn’t want to give his name, said he feared the whole roof would catch fire.

“If the wind came from the other way, all the smoke detectors in the hotel would have been activated.”