Regina fire crews battle apartment fire in Heritage neighbourhood

More than 20 people have been displaced after a fire at an apartment complex in Regina's Heritage neighbourhood Thursday morning.

According to Regina Fire, crews were dispatched to the building in the 1800 block of Halifax Street around 9:20 a.m. CST. Smoke was pouring from broken windows on the second floor of the two-storey structure.

A portion of the building's west wall crumbled as crews sprayed water from multiple angles.

The fire department said only portions of the building could be cleared and the owner has been contacted to determine how many people lived there.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. Firefighters were still battling the blaze as of the early afternoon.

Outreach centre jumps into action

Staff at Carmichael Outreach — located just down the street from the damaged building — quickly worked to help those affected by the fire. 

Aurora Marinari, development co-ordinator for Carmichael, said one of the organization's volunteers ran into the centre to alert staff of the blaze. 

"Staff were grabbing coats (and) blankets … we came out and started collecting the tenants as they were fleeing the building … and then bringing them into Carmichael," Marinari said.

Marinari estimated about 25 people from the building were assisted by her organization. She said staff knew many of the people who lived there, who were "experiencing poverty." She said some people were considered missing, but clarified that could mean some tenants weren't home at the time of the fire.

Power was out in an area around the fire, which included Carmichael's building. As a result, the organization had to suspend operations, which meant it couldn't provide its regular lunch service that normally feeds between 250 and 350 people. Marinari encouraged people to stop by the centre's outdoor community pantry to donate food.