Many residents of a multi-story apartment building had to leave their homes on Thursday night following a vehicle fire reported just behind WRHN @ Midtown in Kitchener.
The call came in just before midnight to Kitchener Fire about the incident at an eight-storey apartment building on York Street, leading to a response that included seven fire trucks.
The fire department indicated that the flames started in the underground parking garage of the apartment; a gas-powered vehicle unexpectedly caught fire, causing the blaze to spread to three nearby vehicles.
It’s thought that other vehicles might have been damaged due to heat and smoke exposure.
When crews arrived, they encountered heavy smoke in the parking garage, with firefighters facing difficulties accessing the affected vehicles.
A report from the fire department also mentioned that smoke was noticed by residents on every floor of the building. Two individuals were treated for smoke inhalation, including one who required transfer to a local hospital.
Between 50 and 60 residents were evacuated from their apartments, while some could safely stay inside their units. Evacuees found shelter in a nearby apartment building, and Grand River Transit provided a bus for displaced residents at the corner of Union Boulevard and Park Street.
The fire has now been put out.
No damage estimate is available yet for the incident, and it’s not being considered suspicious.
Fire crews remain on the scene the morning after a parking garage fire at an apartment building on Kitchener’s York Street. (Mark Douglas / 570 News Radio).
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