Vancouver firefighters battle blaze in Vancouver's Regent Hotel

Regent Hotel resident Jack Gates awoke to sirens this morning after a fire broke out in the single room occupancy building on Hastings Street.

"I had time to get dressed ... I opened my door and I could smell a bit of fire and smoke," said Gates, who has lived in the Regent for two years.

More firefighters were called in after the first crews on scene found someone's personal belongings on fire in a room on the fifth floor.

The building was not evacuated, although firefighters woke 7 people and escorted them out of the building.

Firefighters used building's water system

"We used the existing water source in there," said Battalion Chief Steve Duncan. "We used the house lines on scene to extinguish the fire."

Duncan said aside from the room on fire, only a couple of suites suffered some water damage from the sprinkler system. He expects most of the residents will be able to return to their units later this morning.

Crews contained the fire around 5 a.m. PT, and the cause is currently being investigated.

Earlier this year, the City of Vancouver ordered the owner of the Regent Hotel to correct deficiencies in the building, which include some units lacking heat and running hot water.