Emergency personnel converged Wednesday morning on the Prince George Chateau where a small fire forced an evacuation of slightly more than 100 seniors who live in the home.
Guided by Chateau staff and RCMP, many relied on walkers or wheelchairs to make their way out of the building at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard.
With blankets draped over their shoulders to protect against the cold and sleet, they were loaded onto city buses called to the scene.
Prince George Fire Rescue assistant chief John Heaslip said a chair had caught fire in one of the suites.
"The actual fire, there were not many articles burnt other than the La-Z-Boy chair, there is definitely heat and smoke damage inside the suite and also damage to the west wing of floor number one," Heaslip said.
Three residents, including the suite's occupant were taken to hospital, and one other was evaluated in an ambulance on scene and released.
Heaslip could not comment on the condition of the three taken to hospital.
He said the sprinklers went off inside the one suite only. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Nineteen firefighters on five apparatus from all four PGFR halls were called to the Chateau at about 9:30 a.m.
By shortly after 10 a.m. most of the residents were outside and getting into the buses.
Residents remained on the buses, which were parked on Hill Avenue across from the complex, for the rest of the morning before the air quality was found to be good enough to move everyone back into the dining area.
"They were warmed up and had a nice lunch and it was very, very peaceful, very calm," said Brad Beckett, deputy manager of the city's emergency support program.
After a further 60 to 90 minutes, most of the residents were allowed back to their suites.
The exception were those living in about a half-dozen suites in the wing where the fire had started.
Beckett said only two suites were directly affected - there was a lot of damage in the suite where the fire broke out and there was water damage in the suite next door - but workers were already on the scene cleaning up and repairing the units.
"We felt it was just best to keep the residents out of that area to speed that process up and just in case there were some sort of fumes or work going on that wouldn't be conducive to having residents in that area," Beckett said.
Because there are vacancies at the Chateau, suites have been found within the complex for those who remain affected.
"They won't move everything, they'll just move their beds and their essentials and hopefully in two or three days, three or four more of those units will be ready to go back to and it will be just the one or two units that will still not be available," Beckett said.
In all 107 residents, plus staff, were evacuated and Heaslip said it went well.
"We got everybody out of the building, (including) the person was rescued who was in danger in her suite, so we're quite happy with the outcome," he said.
