A fire in a 3700-block Pinewood Ave. duplex produced a massive plume of smoke and drew a crowd of curious onlookers when it broke out early Friday afternoon.
It wasn't hard for firefighters to find when they were alerted shortly after 1 p.m.
"We could see smoke from all the way across town," Prince George Fire Rescue chief John Iverson said.
Firefighters from three halls were deployed and then those from a fourth hall were also called in to help deal with some initial trouble.
"We had our hands full for a few minutes," Iverson said and later added the fire had spread to the roof structure of the adjacent home in the duplex.
"The way that this building is framed presented us with some challenges but we've been able to chase this fire and I think we've got it all well in hand," Iverson said.
No one was injured but Sadwinder Singh, one of two people who were at home at the time, found himself using a water bottle to clean the soot off his face after making his escape.
He said he and his fellow roommate were upstairs when they noticed smoke coming from the basement and got out. In all, five College of New Caledonia students were living in his side of the duplex.
It appeared that no one living in the other side of the duplex was home at the time.
The blaze produced a plume of thick smoke that easily rose 100 metres into the air. Neighbours and other onlookers stood across the street watching as firefighters directed hoses and worked to contain the fire.
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