Woman rescued from Niagara Falls apartment fire

(Updated) A fire broke out at a high rise apartment building in Niagara Falls early this morning and dozens of residents had to evacuate.

The deputy chief of the Niagara Falls fire department told CHCH News the investigation into the cause will continue for the rest of the day. He also said the entire apartment was gutted and has approximately $30,000 in damages.

Around 4 am the fire erupted in a ground floor apartment unit at 4900 Buckley Ave. The woman living in the unit was treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation in the parking lot.

She is currently living with a friend in the building. Many residents were left outside without any belongings as they waited for firefighters to clear out the smoke that made its way through the hallways and up to the second floor.

When platoon chief Wayne Willett arrived on the scene, he saw flames shooting from the first floor unit. “We had the first crew go on, they knocked down the fire really quick, and we had to deal with all the smoke migration going to the second floor mainly, and through the hall and stairwells.”

Fire officials believe smoking materials sparked a blaze on the couch but that is still being looked into. The investigators had to wait until midday before going into the unit as there were dangerous carbon monoxide levels inside.