Fire Deemed Suspicious

Mar 14, 2012

By Shawn Jeffords, The Standard

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 11:57 AM ED

St. Catharines firefighters battled an early morning at 58 Maple Ave. March 12 2012File photos/QMI AGENCY
St. Catharines firefighters battled an early morning at 58 Maple Ave. March 12 2012 File photos/QMI AGENCY

ST. CATHARINES - Two people are in hospital after an early morning blaze St. Catharines fire officials are calling suspicious.

The fire broke out at a Maple St. home in St. Catharines just after 5 a.m. The blaze started on the two-storey home's front porch and spread to the house's interior.

The home's two occupants were awoken by smoke alarms and one managed to escape. The other could not make his way through smoke in the house and climbed to the roof where he was rescued by firefighters.

The Ontario Fire Marshal's office has been called in to investigate.

It took firefighters more than an hour to get the blaze under control because of what officials are calling “excessive amounts of combustible materials” in the house.

Damage to the home is estimated at $250,000. A neighbouring house sustained $20,000 in damages.

Fire Latest Setback For Welland Family

Mar 09, 2012

By ALLAN BENNER, Tribune

Thursday, March 8, 2012 4:33 PM EST

Paul Bernard surveys the damage to his home, at 1 Exeter Rd., which was damaged by a fire Wednesday evening.

Paul Bernard surveys the damage to his home, at 1 Exeter Rd., which was damaged by a fire Wednesday evening.

If it’s true that bad luck comes in threes, Suzanne St. Amour’s family should have nothing to worry about.

“We’ve had a bad year,” she said.

St. Amour had brain surgery a year ago, her daughter lost her eyesight last summer, and shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday night their home at 1 Exeter Rd. was heavily damaged by a fire.

“Yeah, it’s been tough year,” she said. “Maybe this will be the end of it — the end of the bad luck.”

St. Amour said she was at home Wednesday evening watching American Idol with her daughter and her son-in-law Chantal and Paul Bernard, when her 18-year-old granddaughter ran in warning them a pile of debris near a fence along their driveway was burning.

Paul rushed outside to investigate, but by the time he arrived it was too late to fight the fire himself. The strong breeze Wednesday evening spread the flames to the vinyl-sided house.

“I had to call the fire department,” Paul said. “It just went that fast because of the wind.”

When the fire broke out, Paul said his son was napping in a camping trailer parked in the driveway, right beside the spreading flames.

“He got out before it hit the trailer,” Paul added. “It could have been really bad.”

The trailer was also severely damaged by the fire. One of the two propane tanks located at the front of the trailer was scorched by the flames.

Welland fire Chief Denys Prevost said the propane tanks might have leaked propane, feeding the fire as it spread to the home.

“That would have been one of our first concerns to make sure the propane tanks remained intact,” Prevost said.

St. Amour said the fire was particularly difficult for Chantal, who lost her sight in July.

“It was really hard for her, not knowing what was going on and having to get out of the house. My granddaughter and her friend grabbed her and got her out of the house right away. I grabbed the dog,” she said. “It was pretty interesting to say the least.”

St. Amour said she’s not worried about how the family will cope as a result of the fire. In addition to insurance coverage, she said they have family and friends who are willing to help.

“Everyone got out safe. The animals got out safe too,” St. Amour added, as her cat Rosy walked by and meowed at her. “We’re OK. That’s the main thing.”

After spending the evening in a hotel room, the family returned to their home Thursday morning to survey the damage, and retrieve some clothing and other necessities.

In addition to the exterior damage, Paul said the flames also damaged the dining room, kitchen and a second-floor bedroom.

Prevost said a total of six fire trucks, including four pumpers, an aerial ladder truck and a rescue truck, arrived at the home within minutes of the 8:50 p.m. fire call.

That’s one more truck than would normally be dispatched to a fire at that location, but since one of the city’s volunteer companies was already in the area, Prevost said they added their efforts as well.

With dozens of firefighters at the scene, Prevost said it didn’t take long to extinguish the blaze and minimize damage to the home. He said the fire was out within about 10 minutes.

But he said the response time could have been even better if someone had called 911 immediately to report the fire.

“That’s what we always advocate. If you have two people there, one goes to the phone and calls 911 and the other one does what they can.”

They also need to be prepared to “get out of the way, because fires can go very quickly. That’s for certain. We see that a lot.”

He said the cause of the fire is undetermined.

allan.benner@sunmedia.ca

Fire Rips Through Apartment Block In Housing-Starved Iqaluit

Feb 28, 2012


IQALUIT, Nunavut - Dozens of Nunavut students are homeless and without any of their worldly goods after a fire razed an apartment block in the middle of a frigid Arctic night in Iqaluit.

Early reports from the territory's coroner confirmed two dead in the blaze, which broke out late Sunday night. But the office said later in the day that could no longer be confirmed.

There was, however, no doubt about the fire's impact.

"Most people have lost everything," Iqaluit Mayor Madeleine Redfern said Monday.

Fire broke out in the 22-unit building about 10 p.m. Sunday in -50 C temperatures, Redfern said.

Nothing of it is left.

"It's burned to the ground. It is smouldering and they continue to put water on it but it's just steaming.

"We're trying to account for all the tenants and their families who were staying at the units."

Most of the residents were students at Nunavut Arctic College, along with their spouses, children and other adult family members. The 53 children affected range in age from infants to young adults. They have been accommodated in hotels, the college's old residence and with local people.

Town officials met Monday with the evacuees to discuss their next move.

"It was very difficult," said Redfern.

"Our old residence cafeteria was filled with families and children. It was very emotional. Some people are clearly upset and grieving, some are still in shock — dazed, confused, waiting and wondering where they're going to spend the night and where they're going to live and how they move on."

The fact most of the residents of the apartment were students, living away from their home community, makes it tougher to support the survivors and ensure there aren't more victims, said Redfern.

"Since the majority of the affected individuals appear to be students and their families, they are from other communities. We're very aware they may need support, since they're not residing in their home community.

"We're also trying to make sure that their family members and community are able to confirm that their loved ones are safe."

Grief counsellors have already been made available to the evacuees.

The community is doing what it can.

Nunavut Research Institute is the designated donations centre. The Red Cross is on its way with essentials such as toiletries and vouchers for food and clothing. The food bank has made up grocery baskets. Citizens and businesses are being asked for donations of clothing, bedding and cash.

Officials are looking for at least 20 housing units to accommodate the newly homeless.

That won't be easy. Housing is tight in Iqaluit at the best of times and the there have been a number of fires over the last year in the town of nearly 7,000 people that have reduced the stock even further — including one fire that wiped out 29 units.

"It's been a bad year," said Redfern. "It makes it very difficult and challenging."

But Redfern suggested that between Nunastar — the company that owned the destroyed building — Nunavut Arctic College and the Nunavut government, enough housing is likely to be found to house the evacuees.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blaze.

— By Bob Weber in Edmonton

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version had an official saying there were at least two dead. RCMP say they cannot confirm that.

© The Canadian Press, 2012
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