UPDATE Two people killed in Penticton apartment fire

UPDATE 4:15 p.m.

Two people died in an apartment fire near Skaha Lake in Penticton this morning (Oct. 27), with dozens of other residents displaced

The fire at the three-storey building on Elm Avenue started around 4 a.m. in what the fire chief says was a chaotic scene.

RCMP say the cause of the fire is still under investigation but it does not appear to be criminal.

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A three-storey apartment building near the shores of Skaha Lake on Penticton’s southeast side has been heavily damaged in an early morning fire.

Social media posts from the Penticton fire department show flames engulfing most of the top floor of the 30-unit complex on Elm Avenue.

Please a stay clear of Eml St. #PFD is still working this incident. pic.twitter.com/k97UDiJXeu

— Penticton Fire Chief (@pentictonfire) October 27, 2020

The blaze was so intense that firefighters are still waiting to conduct a sweep through the building to ensure everyone made it out safely.

Crews from Summerland helped their Penticton counterparts control the fire while displaced residents have been taken to a city-run reception centre and will be housed temporarily in area hotels.

The cause is under investigation.