The streets around View Tower apartments in downtown Victoria remains closed to traffic after a chaotic scene early this morning that sent four police officers and one resident to hospital.
Police first spotted the blaze around 7 a.m. and rushed into the building to help with evacuation. In the process, seven VicPD officers suffered smoke inhalation; four cops and one resident were sent to hospital for treatment and have since been released; three other officers were treated at the scene, said Bowen Osoko, VicPD spokesman.
"Officers remained in the building, working to evacuate residents until the heat and smoke became too thick and they themselves had to evacuate," Osoko said.
View Towers, at 1147 Quadra St., dominates much of the 900-block of View St. between Quadra and Vancouver Streets in downtown Victoria.
Fire, police and ambulance vehicles remain on scene; vehicle traffic is still being rerouted from the immediate area, Osoko said.
