Local News
Sep 25, 2020 • Last updated Sep 25, 2020 •
Ontario Fire Marshal investigators are still at the site of a weekend fire in Port Elgin on Tuesday. (Frances Learment/Postmedia Network) jpg, OT
Saugeen Shores police have taken over what is now a criminal investigation into the fire that seriously injured a tenant in Port Elgin on Sept. 20.
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The police reported that they seized several items under the authority of a warrant and sent them for testing to help figure out what caused the apartment fire, according to a police news update released Thursday.
Trevor Keating was reported to be in fair condition at London Health Sciences Centre on Friday. Witnesses said he sustained burns to his hands and arms after escaping his burning apartment around 6:50 p. m. from Unit 10 at 560 Ivings Drive in Port Elgin.
The firefighters mentioned they managed to contain the fire to just one unit. The property manager of the apartment complex entered Unit 10 while it was on fire to rescue a cat and noted that it appeared the fire began in an upstairs bathroom and was spreading into a bedroom.
No other injuries were reported by the police. Although officials haven’t named the occupant of the apartment, people who know Keating confirmed him as living in Unit 10 and being the victim of the fire.
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The fire marshal’s investigators spent three days at the scene before handing off their findings to police, stated Manny Garcia, who supervises the investigations section at the Office of the Fire Marshal.
The police obtained a search warrant and gathered samples as evidence, added Garcia, who was present as one of the investigators on-site.
It may take several months for results from tests conducted by the Centre of Forensic Sciences to come back; however, Garcia did not specify what type of tests these would be due to ongoing investigations by law enforcement.
He did mention that investigators found no signs indicating an explosion led to this fire, which contradicted initial reports and how Monday’s police news release described it.
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The police news release on Thursday made no mention of any explosion occurring initially during or leading up to this incident.
Garcia suggested there might have been an explosion after flames erupted.
A delay extending their investigation over three days occurred when something resembling a hand grenade was discovered on Monday. He explained that Saugeen Shores police evacuated three nearby apartment buildings until an OPP bomb disposal unit arrived and identified it as just a cigar lighter.
According to Garcia, Unit 10 suffered most damage; however, they noted that safety separations worked effectively during this incident helping contain it along with functioning smoke alarms.
Still residents close by Unit 10 are unable to return home currently,
The Thursday news release from police asked anyone with details regarding this fire incident reach out by calling them at 519-832-2500.
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