A fire prompted the evacuation of an entire floor at a London & Middlesex Community Housing apartment building, leaving nine people hospitalized early Saturday morning.
Firefighters responded to 241 Simcoe Street in London shortly after 6:30 a. m. and discovered flames contained within one unit on the sixth floor of the 12-storey structure.
“My dog woke me up. I smelled the smoke and I just stepped onto my balcony and saw the whole living room at that unit was burning,” said resident Qusai Ahmad, who lives on the ninth floor.
“There was a lot of smoke and flames. Everyone was scared, terrified. They just wanted to escape the building.”
London Fire Platoon Chief Colin Shewell stated that firefighters were able to put out the fire and conducted multiple rescues from various apartments. Residents from the sixth floor were guided down to the main level where paramedics assessed their conditions.
“The fire was contained to one unit with extensive smoke damage to the sixth floor,” noted Shewell.
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Fire crews at the scene of a fire that broke out on the sixth floor of 241 Simcoe Street early Saturday morning. The building is owned by London & Middlesex Community Housing. (Andrew Lupton/ )
Earlier on Saturday, Middlesex-London Paramedic Service informed that four individuals, including an infant, were transported to hospitals in stable condition while five others were taken in critical condition.
On Sunday morning, officials confirmed how many people had been sent to hospitals.
Shewell mentioned that residents from the sixth floor who weren’t hospitalized but needed shelter were moved to a reception center at Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre. He estimated about 15 residents would receive assistance from Red Cross while their apartments are evaluated.
About an hour after reports of the fire began, residents from other floors were allowed back into their homes.
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The fire at 241 Simcoe Street was contained to one unit, but dark smoke damage is on several balconies above. (Kendra Seguin/ )
Ahmad reported that activity continued throughout much of Saturday as investigators from fire services, police officers, building management, and cleaning crews worked on-site.
“The cleaning crew are still cleaning and I saw security this morning when I left,” he mentioned on Sunday morning. “Things are looking normal so far, hopefully.”
Shewell indicated that they are currently investigating what caused the fire.
“We have two investigators assigned as well as the Ontario Fire Marshal at this time,” he explained.
After extinguishing the initial blaze, firefighters dealt with another small fire on one of the second-floor balconies on the west side of the building. Shewell mentioned it’s unclear whether this second incident was connected to first one.
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After the first fire broke out, fire crews extinguished this fire on a second-floor balcony. Officials said it’s unclear if the second fire was related to the first. (London Fire)
Matt Senechal from London & Middlesex Community Housing noted there are 19 units located on that sixth floor and crews are now assessing any damage done.
“Right now our major priority is getting the building systems up and running,” he added.
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