At least 10 displaced by ‘intense’ apartment fire in Spryfield (update, 5 photos)

UPDATE: Spryfield apartment fire believed to be arson, suspect arrested

*************************

At least 10 people have been displaced by an apartment fire in Spryfield Thursday morning.

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency crews were called to the three-storey, nine-unit building on Spencer Ave. at 7:44 a.m.

Resident Jordan Hobin says he was woken up this morning by a screaming neighbour.

“Get out, get out, there's smoke, the apartment's on fire,” he heard coming from the hall.

“Me and my roommates opened the door and that's when we saw the hallway full of smoke,” he said. “The last thing I thought was, well, there goes Christmas.”

Hobin and another resident grabbed fire extinguishers and tried to put out the blaze, but he says they weren't able to make much of a dent.

District fire chief Dave Slaunwhite said when crews got to the scene, heavy fire was coming out of the first and second floors of the building.

“It was a very intense fire on their arrival,” he explained. “They would have encountered heavy heat and heavy fire in their initial attack, but they did a great job knocking it down.”

It took about 15 minutes for firefighters to get control of the flames.

A spokesperson for Halifax Fire says two people were rescued from the third floor of the building.

According to the Canadian Red Cross, one tenant was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.

From what Slaunwhite understands, there's extensive damage to the interior of the building.

A Halifax Transit bus was brought to the scene to be used as a warming centre and the Red Cross has been called in to help nine adults from seven of the apartments arrange emergency lodging and food, clothing purchases and other basics.

Hobin wasn't sure what his next step would be.

“I could always stay with my mom I guess,” he said. 

“Everything I own is in that apartment. If it's gone, I might as well just live on the streets and do what I have to do.”