A large fire at a seniors' housing complex in North Vancouver sent a plume of smoke across Metro Vancouver's North Shore on Saturday morning.

Firefighters were deployed to the parking lot of Westlynn Baptist Church, located on East 27th Street, near Mountain Highway in North Vancouver's Lynn Valley neighborhood.

Images from the scene show flames and thick smoke billowing from a multi-unit building next to the church.

The building is the Silverlynn Apartments, a seniors' residence.

North Shore Emergency Management has set up an emergency shelter at Westlynn Baptist Church, 1341 East 27th Street, for evacuees and is urging people to stay away from the area.

According to reports from the scene, firefighters have made several rescues while battling the blaze, but fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported.

In a post on social media, the local firefighters union described the fire as a second alarm structure fire.

North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service has not yet released any further information on the matter and the news is being updated.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for the latest details.

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