An early morning fire in a North Shore apartment building sent dozens of residents scrambling to safety on Sunday.

North Vancouver City Fire Chief Dan Pistilli said the flames broke out on the balcony of a unit on the third floor around 5 a.m. and appeared to have been sparked by someone smoking.

“We’re not sure how safely that cigarette was discarded,” Pistilli said.

The blaze was so big and so loud, neighbour Ali Moshajari heard it from the townhomes next door.

“It was really bad and scary,” Moshajari said, adding that he and other neighbours went door-to-door to make sure everyone, including seniors, got out.

Michael Konnert and Bethany Taylor said they woke up to the sound of shouting.

“We could smell it and see it from our balcony,” Konnert said. They grabbed their dog and ran down the stairs.

Remarkably, no one was injured in the fire.

Pistilli said the blaze quickly grew to a two-alarm fire as it reached the attic. It took some 30 firefighters to knock it down.

While the fire damage was largely confined to one unit, all three residential levels of the apartment building sustained significant water damage, meaning dozens of residents couldn’t immediately return to their homes.

Pistilli said he expected residents of the most-impacted building to be out for months, while those in 3 neighbouring buildings in the complex would be able to return home as soon as Sunday evening.

The building on St. Andrews Avenue is located just across from Lions Gate Hospital.

With files from CTV’s Shawn Foss