A fatal apartment fire in North Vancouver’s Lynn Valley has left two people dead and 16 injured, according to news reports. District of North Vancouver fire fighters were called to the Mountain Village Garden Apartments complex at 1298 Emery Place just after 2:30 a.m. PT and found one of the buildings in the multi-residential complex engulfed in flames.

North Vancouver Fire Chief Brian Hutchinson said the fire progressed rapidly, but crews were able to stop it from spreading to the other buildings.

More than 150 tenants from the complex were evacuated, with 16 taken to several area hospitals due to injuries varying in seriousness from burns to smoke inhalation.

Though the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, investigators are looking at whether the smoke alarms in the units were properly functioning. Some eye-witnesses  described what sounded like “an explosion” before seeing what looked like “a fire ball” shooting into the sky.

Residents from three of the four evacuated buildings have been allowed back into their homes; however, firefighters will be on scene all day putting out remaining hotspots.

Mountain Village Garden Apartments consists of 170 units situated on an 11 acre park-like setting in the core of the Lynn Valley area. The complex is owned and managed by Mountain Village Management Ltd.

As more information is made available, we will update this story.