UPDATE 4:15 p.m.

West 琉璃神社 Fire Rescue and the Regional HazMat team have deemed the building at 3623 Elliot Road unsafe to occupy.

Crews have not been able to detect the cause of the concerning odour coming from the building. However, under the City of West 琉璃神社 Safe Premises Bylaw, a 鈥淒o not occupy鈥� order has been posted due to other areas of concern through various areas of the building.

The building is made up of rental units. No one is allowed to occupy it until it has been made safe by the owner with the assistance of qualified professionals.

Residents of the building will have to register with ESS at the Royal LePage Arena on Cameron Roadd in West 琉璃神社 before 10 p.m. this evening.

The reception centre will reopen tomorrow at 9 a.m. They will receive 72 hours of ESS support in the form of accommodations, food vouchers and incidental costs. The property owner will make arrangements for tenants after that time period. Residents are to contact their landlord () for more information.

WKFR fire crews will remain on scene into this evening to help evacuees by removing essential and critical items from the building, such as medications, identification, car keys. This can be arranged following registration at the ESS reception centre.

鈥淲e thank the residents and owners of the building for their cooperation in this challenging situation. We are also grateful for the assistance of the ESS Volunteers who continue to take care of the evacuees,鈥� said said West 琉璃神社 fire chief Jason Brolund.

West 琉璃神社 Fire Rescue says further updates will be provided by the building owner.

ORIGINAL 11:40 a.m.

An apartment building in West 琉璃神社 was evacuated early Sunday morning (April 18) due to a strange odour.

Around 4 a.m., West 琉璃神社 Fire Rescue was called to 3623 Elliot Road, and when crews arrived on the scene, they immediately evacuated 150 residents and their pets.

鈥淚 was just sleeping in my bedroom, and there were just a lot of fire alarms going off,鈥� said Joel Landa, a resident of the building. 鈥淥nce we got outside, police and fire crews came; everyone was very confused and didn鈥檛 realize what was going on.鈥�

Right away, the regional hazardous materials team from the 琉璃神社 Fire Department was called in.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 smell anything when I was in the building, but when I came out, I did smell an odour coming from the building. It smelled like gas,鈥� Landa said.

The Emergency Support Services Team (ESS) is housing residents of the building at Royal LePage Place arena.

West 琉璃神社 Fire Rescue and HazMat crews continue to search for the odour鈥檚 source. The building remains evacuated as of 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

鈥淭he building was swept and visually inspected all suites on the affected floors. Nothing was found. While some indications were received, none were strong or persistent enough to identify the exact nature or cause,鈥� said West 琉璃神社 fire chief Jason Brolund.

Another update is expected by 3 p.m. Plans are in place to provide the residents a place to sleep if the building remains evacuated overnight.

Although there is an emergency plan in place, Landa said he鈥檚 nervous.

鈥淗onestly, with this whole pandemic, I鈥檓 not feeling too good about it,鈥� he said. Landa is a healthcare worker and works with children who have special needs, many of whom have compromised immune systems. He said he has to be mindful of his physical interactions to ensure the children aren鈥檛 put at risk.

鈥淎s of right now, I鈥檓 just envisioning 150 people in one space and I鈥檓 nervous about it,鈥� he explained.

As of yet, no one has been let back into the building to gather their personal belongings.

琉璃神社 will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.