Dozens of people are out of their homes after an apartment building fire Thursday night.

The four-storey, 40-unit building on Fredericton's Serenity Lane has been evacuated, according to assistant deputy chief David McKinley with the Fredericton Fire Department.

The small fire started in one of the apartments, triggering the sprinkler system. The sprinkler extinguished the fire quickly but caused water damage that needs to be fixed, McKinley said.

"They flow 90 litres a minute out of a sprinkler head," he said. "It doesn't take long, where you're in the top floor, for it to go down through the rest of the building. So that was the that was the issue there."

The Red Cross is helping 13 people find temporary housing. In a news release, the organization said other people were making plans to stay with relatives or friends, or at hotels "if they could find rooms."

"Vacancy is low heading into the Labour Day long weekend," the release said.

He said five fire trucks responded, and the fire damage in the apartment is minimal.

McKinley said no one was injured in the fire and evacuation. He said he doesn't know when residents will be back in, but electricians will be at the building Friday to check the electrical system's safety.

"They'll be making that decision today," he said.

He said the fire is still under investigation but "we believe it to be accidental."

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