Victoria fire crews rescued one man using a ladder during a blaze in a 14-storey apartment building late Friday morning.

Smoke billowed from a unit around the 10th floor of the apartment building shortly after 11:30 a.m. on April 29.

A building appears to be on fire in the area of View and Quadra streets in downtown Victoria.

sa国际传媒� Victoria News (@VictoriaNews)

Victoria firefighters lowered the man from a balcony of the unit where the fire appeared to be. Smoke dwindled quickly as crews battled the blaze.

sa国际传媒淚 was just in my bedroom and saw smoke, looked out the window and saw it billowing out,sa国际传媒� said Derek Warner, who lives four floors above where the fire happened. He then went and knocked on the door of the engulfed unit to check on the man inside but nobody answered. He then pulled the fire alarm and got out of the building.

sa国际传媒淚 was definitely worried because theresa国际传媒檚 a lot of people in that building who have mobility issues,sa国际传媒� Warner said.

Steve Phillips was coming from some work on Douglas Street and his hands still donned yellow rubber gloves, one gripped around a bottle of cleaner, as he turned the corner and saw his building on fire.

Hesa国际传媒檚 seen a number of fires in the downtown apartment over the 12 years hesa国际传媒檚 lived there.

Phillips said it seemed like the crews didnsa国际传媒檛 know the man was still inside until he appeared on the balcony, his face smudged with soot.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 glad he didnsa国际传媒檛 die,sa国际传媒� he said, dumbfounded that the rescued man was still in his unit.

He said the fires hesa国际传媒檚 experienced at the building have all been contained to the unit where they started due to the structure being concrete.

sa国际传媒淵ousa国际传媒檙e never ready for this right,sa国际传媒� he added, lamenting how he left his phone at home as he only expected to be gone for about an hour.

sa国际传媒淚 have to go to work at three osa国际传媒檆lock, this was not on the agenda.sa国际传媒�

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