Send this page to someone via email The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed a woman in her 60s is dead following a massive fire at an apartment building in Esquimalt Sunday. Crews from Esquimalt and Victoria responded to the fire in the 800-block of Craigflower Road just before 4 p.m., along with Victoria police and paramedics. READ MORE: 2 men airlifted to hospital after building collapse on Vancouver Island A witness told Global News she saw two women on a balcony calling for help as the fire approached. “The people were trying to make them jump, so the people came with a blanket,” she said. “And we were screaming, ‘Jump, jump, jump,’ but none of them would jump. And so I think they are dead. “By the time the fire department came, I think they were gone, because they stopped screaming.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "By the time the fire department came, I think they were gone, because they stopped screaming." Story continues below advertisement People could be seen on stretchers in the street outside the four-storey building. One firefighter on scene told Global News that several other residents were rescued after witnesses said they were trapped inside. There’s no word yet on the cause of the fire or the condition of any of the residents inside, including the person on the balcony. WATCH: (Aired Sept. 8, 2017) A devastating fire in Victoria is another example of B.C.’s housing affordability crisis. 1:44 A devastating fire in Victoria is another example of B.C.’s housing affordability crisis. A devastating fire in Victoria is another example of B.C.’s housing affordability crisis – Sep 8, 2017 BC Ambulance Service says one patient was taken to hospital, but wouldn’t comment on that person’s condition. — With files from Jon Azpiri Advertisement<doc-sep>The Canadian Press The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Friday, May 28, 2021. There are 1,371,073 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Canada: 1,371,073 confirmed cases (42,104 active, 1,303,558 resolved, 25,411 deaths). *The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers. There were 2,969 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 110.78 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 23,634 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 3,376. There were 51 new reported deaths Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 300 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 43. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.11 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 66.86 per 100,000 people. There have been 34,449,561 tests completed. _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,279 confirmed cases (93 active, 1,180 resolved, six deaths). There were six new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 17.81 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 63 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is nine. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 1.15 per 100,000 people. There have been 266,042 tests completed. _ Prince Edward Island: 200 confirmed cases (10 active, 190 resolved, zero deaths). There were zero new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 6.26 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of one new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 160,475 tests completed. _ Nova Scotia: 5,457 confirmed cases (638 active, 4,740 resolved, 79 deaths). There were 33 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 65.15 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 392 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 56. There were zero new reported deaths Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of five new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is one. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.07 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 8.07 per 100,000 people. There have been 791,538 tests completed. _ New Brunswick: 2,172 confirmed cases (138 active, 1,991 resolved, 43 deaths). There were nine new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 17.66 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 74 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 11. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 5.5 per 100,000 people. There have been 337,317 tests completed. _ Quebec: 368,899 confirmed cases (4,977 active, 352,807 resolved, 11,115 deaths). There were 436 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 58.04 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 3,257 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 465. There were 10 new reported deaths Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 49 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is seven. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.08 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 129.63 per 100,000 people. There have been 9,123,035 tests completed. _ Ontario: 527,180 confirmed cases (16,541 active, 501,942 resolved, 8,697 deaths). There were 1,135 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 112.26 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 10,090 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,441. There were 19 new reported deaths Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 145 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 21. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.14 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 59.03 per 100,000 people. There have been 14,914,598 tests completed. _ Manitoba: 49,651 confirmed cases (4,639 active, 43,970 resolved, 1,042 deaths). There were 297 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 336.34 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 2,741 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 392. There were eight new reported deaths Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 23 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is three. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.24 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 75.55 per 100,000 people. There have been 784,142 tests completed. _ Saskatchewan: 46,163 confirmed cases (1,382 active, 44,247 resolved, 534 deaths). There were 162 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 117.25 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,035 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 148. There were six new reported deaths Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 12 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is two. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.15 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 45.3 per 100,000 people. There have been 846,714 tests completed. _ Alberta: 225,937 confirmed cases (10,017 active, 213,721 resolved, 2,199 deaths). There were 513 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 226.53 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 3,658 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 523. There was one new reported death Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 37 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is five.<doc-sep>WATCH: A deadly Esquimalt fire is raising some serious safety questions. And as Tess van Straaten tells us, thousands of other buildings in B.C. could also be at risk. A burnt-out chair sits in front of an Esquimalt apartment building Tuesday morning — just a small piece of the damage after a deadly fire. The raging inferno spread so fast on Sunday afternoon, residents were trapped on their balconies. “We were screaming jump, jump, jump!” one witness told CHEK News. But 60-year-old Judith Burke, who was stuck on her 4th floor balcony wouldn’t jump and was overcome by flames. In the wake of her tragic death, there are growing questions about why the four-story building didn’t have sprinklers. “Due to the age of the building, those types of buildings — three and four storey walk-ups — typically weren’t required under the fire code and building code at the time to have sprinklers,” explains Chief Chris Jancowski of the Esquimalt Fire Department. The B.C. Building Code was changed in the 1990s to make sprinklers mandatory in multi-family residential buildings four storeys or higher. But fire officials say older buildings without sprinklers present a big challenge when it comes to fire suppression. “It’s extremely concerning to learn there aren’t sprinklers in buildings like this,” says Emily Rogers of the Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS). Housing advocates are now wondering why there’s a double standard when it comes to safety. “The residential tenancy act says units need to be maintained to the health and safety standards required by law,” Rogers says. “If there aren’t any laws in place to mandate a certain level of care, there’s nothing to be held accountable to.” CHEK Newsletter Sign up for our newsletter to get breaking news and daily digests sent to your email. Email Address Sign Up It’s not just rentals that could at risk. There are also thousands of condo buildings in British Columbia that didn’t require sprinklers when they were built and are grandfathered under the old code. Retrofitting old buildings with sprinklers could be very costly. But experts say it could also save lives. “Fire prevention measures are an essential element of safety and everyone deserves a safe place to call home,” Rogers says.<doc-sep>Difficult fire would have been worse if not for coordinated efforts of four departments A GoFundMe campaign has been launched in an attempt to raise $2,000 per displaced family “to ease the pain of loss.” (Keri Coles/News staff) The community is rallying around nearly 100 people left temporarily homeless after a fire tore through their apartment building on Craigflower Road Sunday, killing one woman in her 60s. The Esquimalt Church of the Nazarene, which immediately opened its doors to residents fleeing the fire at 843 Craigflower Rd., has since launched a GoFundMe campaign in an attempt to raise $2,000 per displaced family “to ease the pain of loss.” Four fire departments were dispatched to the four-storey apartment building around 3:50 p.m. Sunday after multiple 911 calls came in reporting people trapped on their balconies by a fire on the top floor. Tragically, the fast-moving blaze engulfed one apartment and balcony, before the fire trucks arrived. To the horror of everyone gathered helplessly on the sidewalk below, Judith Rose Burke, whose fourth-floor balcony faces Craigflower Road, perished before their eyes. “That was an extremely traumatic call,” said Assistant Chief Steve Serbic with the Esquimalt Fire Department. “There is a human factor for everyone who responded to that fire. I’ll never forget those first couple minutes. It’s etched in my memory.” RELATED: One woman confirmed dead following Esquimalt fire Burke had lived in the apartment for years and was closing in on retirement, having spent an earlier career as an international trade law specialist before switching directions to become a water quality scientist. The move, she had previously written on her website, was fuelled by her love of nature and the importance of clean water. An avid painter and drawer since childhood, Burke painted naturescapes and created quirky cartoons about her life adventures, from schooling to her love of windsurfing. She lived with her cat, which was seen leaping four storeys to the ground just before the flames completely engulfed the balcony. In addition to Burke being caught on her balcony, the neighbour one balcony over had to be rescued from his, as well as three people on the back side of the building. If not for the coordinated quick response of all four agencies dispatched – Esquimalt Fire Department, CFB Esquimalt Fire, View Royal Fire Rescue and Victoria Fire Department – the loss of life could have been higher that day. “It was hard to get that unit under control. That building being saved and those lives being saved was because of all those different agencies working together,” said Serbic. “Apartment structure fires are complicated, there are a lot of people involved. I really thought we were going to lose that building. Without every agency coming there, we would have.” RELATED: One presumed dead after apartment fire in Esquimalt traps occupants While Esquimalt Fire worked to fight back flames and rescue the neighbour from the front of the building – an extremely challenging task with steep ladder angles and a disabled resident – CFB Esquimalt helped to establish attack and rapid intervention teams. View Royal Fire Rescue squeezed its truck into a narrow driveway at the back of the building and set up its aerial device to rescue residents trapped there, while Victoria came in with one of their battalion chiefs and “helped us save the building,” said Serbic. In the end, the fire was contained to three units, with water damage affecting another three units below. Residents have been out of the building since, many put up in hotels as part of Esquimalt’s emergency social services program. It is unclear when they will be able to return. The investigation into the fire is expected to be completed Wednesday. Esquimalt Friends identify Judith Rose Burke as the victim of Sunday’s fatal apartment fire. (Judith Burke Facebook)<doc-sep>
Four fire departments and more than 30 firefighters were on scene at a structure fire in Esquimalt on Sunday. It is believed that one person has died in the fire. (Nina Grossman/News Staff) Four fire departments and more than 30 firefighters were on scene at a structure fire in Esquimalt on Sunday. It is believed that one person has died in the fire. (Nina Grossman/News Staff) UPDATED: Crews have since confirmed that a woman in her 60s died in fire on Sunday. One woman is presumed dead after an apartment fire in the 800-block of Craigflower Road trapped multiple people Sunday afternoon. Emergency crews on scene or large structure fire on Craigflower Road in Esquimalt #yyj #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/f1luoukxpK — Nina Grossman (@NinaGrossman) April 7, 2019 At about 3:50 p.m., crews were called to a structure fire burning on the top floor of a four-storey apartment building in Esquimalt. The first crews to arrive were informed there was a person trapped on the balcony of the fourth floor. “The crew tried to make a quick rescue, unfortunately…it was an unsuccessful rescue,” said Esquimalt Fire Chief Chris Jancowski. An update from Esquimalt Fire Department: pic.twitter.com/DHD7SIGtdq — Nina Grossman (@NinaGrossman) April 8, 2019 READ ALSO: Saanich fire crews extinguish blaze at Gorge and Adelaide Witnesses said there were people trying to help the woman during the early stage of the fire. Multiple people tried to get the woman to come down, using a blanket to encourage her to jump. “I know that there was some civilians trying to assist that occupant on the fourth floor,” Jancowski said. “Any time civilians try to help civilians, in brave situations like this, it’s to be applauded. Their actions [to] try to coax, help her, assist her, it’s really appreciated.” He said crews suspect the woman succumbed to the fire, but would not confirm until further investigations had been completed. Crews also performed multiple ladder rescues of trapped occupants, but Jancowski said they don’t believe there are any serious injuries although there may have been some “small leg or arm injuries.” Esquimalt Fire Department, CFB Esquimalt Fire, View Royal Fire Department and Victoria Fire Department were all on scene to assist with the blaze. More than 30 firefighters and four to five fire engines helped to douse the flames concentrated on the fourth floor, corner unit of the building. The fourth floor of the building was severely damaged by fire and smoke, and the first, second and third floor may also have water damage. Residents of the building will not be allowed back in tonight as crews investigate and clear the structure. When asked what started the fire, Jancowski said it is still too early to tell. “We’ll be in there tonight or tomorrow to try to figure out some of the other factors.” READ ALSO: CFB Esquimalt submarine sees small fire nina.grossman@blackpress.ca Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter Heavy smoke took over an hour to extinguish after a fire ripped through an Esquimalt apartment building Sunday afternoon. (Keri Coles/News staff) Heavy smoke took over an hour to extinguish after a fire ripped through an Esquimalt apartment building Sunday afternoon. (Keri Coles/News staff) The fourth floor of an Esquimalt apartment building was severely damaged by fire and smoke, and the first, second and third floor may also have water damage. (Nina Grossman/News Staff) One woman is dead after an apartment fire in Esquimalt Sunday afternoon. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)