Late Friday evening, firefighters were on the scene of a blaze in a condo building – a fire that kept crews busy for several hours.

A short time after firefighters were called – a second alarm was called to the condominium complex on 301 Clareview Station Drive.

Fire Chief Ken Block told CTV News on the scene that firefighters were called in after 4:30 p.m., and they quickly called for help.

“Our crews arrived at [4:47 p.m.], within two or three minutes put in a second alarm,” Block said the fire was extended to a third alarm just after 5:20 p.m.

At one point, officials said 14 units, with about 60 firefighters, were on the scene – Block said the fire was a challenging one to fight, describing the building as a high rise on its side.

“It’s a very difficult fire to fight,” Block said. “The type of construction we’re looking at is very vulnerable to this type of fire, especially if it starts on the outside of the building.

“Inside the building, the codes do a very nice job of drywall on the walls, fire resistant drywall, and typically an inside fire, we’re able to get in there and be very aggressive with it.

“A fire like this it starts from the outside and extends up through the eaves into the attic space, and it’s a challenge – it’s a son-of-a-gun to fight and it’s very difficult to extinguish.”

Block said investigators had a rough idea of where the fire started, but wouldn’t confirm speculation on what had started it.

“What I can tell you is we believe this fire started on the fourth floor, on the exterior on the balcony,” Block said. “Beyond that, our investigators are still talking to witnesses.”

By 7 p.m. officials said the flames had burned through part of the roof on the structure, and had swept through a number of suites on the top floor – the damage was described as ‘significant’.

As crews responded, police closed Manning Drive northbound at 50 Street – and there was no access to Clareview Station Drive and the Clareview LRT area.

Police asked motorists to stay clear of the area during the closure.

No residents were injured, but two firefighters sustained minor injuries – they were treated by paramedics on the scene.

Residents displaced by the fire were directed to a reception centre set up at the Clareview Recreation Centre.

By about 10 p.m., a spokesperson said the fire was still considered a working fire – crews were still working to put out hot spots, but the fire had been contained.

With files from Josh Skurnik