About 50 residents of this Prince George apartment building were evacuated after a fire broke out on Thursday morning. About 50 residents of this Prince George apartment building were evacuated after a fire broke out on Thursday morning. Betsy Trumpener/CBC

Fifty residents have been evacuated from a Prince George apartment tower after a fire broke out on the fifth floor on Thursday morning.

The fire broke out at the 12-storey Victoria Towers building on 20th Avenue around 6 a.m. PT according to reports.

The entire building was evacuated by firefighters, who had to rescue five seniors from their balconies because they could not walk down the stairs .

About 10 residents were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, while others were placed on a transit bus to keep them warm.