A fire in a Vancouver high-rise tower is unlikely to turn into an inferno like the one in London, according to Vancouver's Fire and Rescue Services.

London, England's 24-storey Grenfell Tower was quickly engulfed in flames Wednesday morning, leaving at least 12 people dead and dozens more seriously injured.

According to early reports, the building had no fire alarms or sprinklers and only one staircase in the centre of the building.

Eyewitnesses said the fire trapped many residents in the building and a number of people dropped their children from the building or jumped themselves.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue spokesman Jonathan Gormick says while it remains unclear what caused the fire to spread so quickly, such a tragedy is unlikely to occur in B.C.

"It is horrifying. They were extremely shocking images, but I'd like to think that in a modern city, especially a western city like Vancouver, that chances of something like that happening are virtually non-existent."

A firefighter checks damage after a fire engulfed the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, in West London. (Rick Findler/Associated Press)

"We do occasionally have high-rise fires ... but rarely do they spread in an occupied building."

"All our high-rises are very compartmentalized. They have very complex and effective fire protections and life-safety systems that all work together to get fires out quickly and absolutely confine them to the suite of origin."

"All high-rises are sprinklered. They have wet standpipe systems. If a fire does start in a suite, it is often knocked down before firefighters arrive."

He says if sprinklers don't put it out, buildings are designed to stop it from spreading to other suites or floors.

"If it did somehow manage to overcome the sprinkler system, the buildings are so well compartmentalized ...everything is designed to keep the fire limited to the suite of origin."

Shelter in place or evacuate?

One of the concerns from the London fire was that the fire plan for the building was for residents to take shelter in their apartments, leaving them trapped as the fire spread.

Dozens of people injured, several dead as structure engulfed in flames 1:43

Gormick said in Vancouver firefighters won't necessarily evacuate a high-rise when a fire breaks out because it may actually be safer to have residents stay in their suites.

Normally, it would be up to the incident commander on the scene to decide if the intercom system would be used to order people to evacuate the building.

"With the modern construction it is actually much safer to shelter in place." said Gormick.

"Unless you can see smoke or flames it is a good idea to stay in your unit. The units are sprinklered, they are designed to keep fire away, and that's a good place to be."

Another reason to stay in your suite is that firefighters might need to use the stairwells themselves to access the suite in flames.

"We need to be able to get up to the fire floor quickly and effectively," he said.

'Completely inconceivable'

Unlike the London high-rise, there are no buildings in Vancouver that would have only a single staircase for an emergency exit he also noted.

"That there was only one staircase for a building of that height with that number of suites would be completely inconceivable," he said

"All our high-rises have multiple stairwells ... that are protected by ventilation systems that keep them pressurized if the fire alarms go off."

That's because Vancouver in the late 70s and 80s adopted some of the most aggressive fire codes in North America when many of the first high-rises were being built.

Virtually all of the high-rises in Vancouver were built after the adoption of modern fire codes, making it highly unlikely a fire could spread. (AP Photo/Tourism British Columbia, Albert Normandin)

"I believe some low-rises can still be un-sprinklered, but the vast majority of our buildings are sprinklered." he said. "All our buildings are so new. The city is well, well protected."

But Gormick said he is aware of one 10-storey building located in Vancouver's West End that does not have a sprinkler system.