24 people in COVID-19 self-isolation displaced after fire at Charlottetown motel

Twenty-four people who were displaced by a fire at a Charlottetown motel were self-isolating under public health orders and have been safely moved to another location, says P.E.I.'s fire inspector.

Kent Mitchell said about 30 firefighters responded to the call at Canada's Best Value Inn on Capital Drive shortly before 7 p.m.

Most of the damage was confined to a block of 16 motel units, eight in front and eight in back.

There were no injuries.

The people in self-isolation had already had at least one negative COVID-19 test, Mitchell said.

All firefighters wore personal protective equipment, and many have had at least one vaccination, Mitchell said.

He said the firefighters were not in enclosed spaces with those in self-isolation. However, the fire department has records of all people in the units if contact tracing is necessary.

Flames billowed out the window of the motel unit where the fire started. The fire spread through the outdoor roof overhangand into the attic, which made it difficult to extinguish, Mitchell said.

"Once it gets into the attic then you're dealing with blown-in insulation, and blown-in insulation will smoulder for quite a while and it just causes a lot of issues."

Mitchell said they had the worst of it out in minutes, but it was about three hours before they were confident it was truly under control.

Some firefighters stayed on site until 7 a.m., watching for flare-ups.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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