Cigarette butt blamed for apartment fire
SIX UNITS IN NORTHSIDE COMPLEX DAMAGED
Lethbridge fire officials say the improper disposal of a cigarette was the cause behind a Thursday afternoon fire at the Winston Villa apartment complex.
Six units of the three-storey structure have suffered “major heat, smoke and flame damage,” said Fire Prevention Officer Adam Saturley.
“Once again we’re dealing with another structure where... in the last two months we’ve had four structures that have had damage resulting from the exact same cause. We’re concerned about that highly.”
All 46 residents were safely evacuated before flames tore through several units. The fire began outside on the west end of the building, and it took only about eight minutes for the flames to spread, engulfing the outside of the building.
“That’s not very long,” said Saturley. “And when you’ve got winds in this area, it just becomes very dangerous.”
There’s no word yet on the total damage estimate, but Saturley believes it will be high.
Investigators said a neighbour saw smoke and flames coming from a window and called 911 at about 12:18 p.m. on Thursday. A total of 21 firefighters from three stations responded.
APARTMENT
One person was taken to hospital with injuries related to smoke inhalation.
Now that the investigation is complete, the building has been released back to its management. Saturley said he couldn’t go into specifics about the nature of the fire.
“This was completely accidental. But it’s another situation where it’s a cigarette butt,” he said.
With four fires caused from “smoking materials” in the past two months, including the $2.5 million in damage to The Gardens on the west side, it appears some people still aren’t getting the message.
“It’s a large concern for us,” said Saturley. “Conditions are very dry. We still have the fire ban on. So we’re asking people to be very cautious and very careful in the way that they smoke and extinguish their cigarette butts.”
Smoking materials, such as cigarettes and cigars, should be properly extinguished in a noncombustible container filled with water or sand.
“When you have a cigarette butt and it’s put out into dry conditions, whether it’s dead grass or foliage... or if you have a planter... It’s all dry. It’s all combustible material that can go up quite easy,” said Saturley. “As far as we know this did not take long to progress. It progressed very quickly.”
Lexus Kutsch lived in one of the units with her boyfriend, four-yearold daughter, and their dog. They’ve lived in the apartment complex since last October, and were about to move out next month. The family wasn’t home at the time of the fire, but their dog was inside. Her boyfriend heard about the fire on the radio and rushed home. Kutsch left work early as well.
Firefighters rescued the dog but it escaped after being put outside the ground floor window.
“We eventually found her a couple blocks away. She’s fine. She smelled a little smoky but other than that she was happy to see us,” said Kutsch.
Coming home to find her apartment in flames was devastating, she said. One day later she’s finding it difficult to process what happened.
“I was horrified,” she said. “It’s absolutely insane. I was just there a few hours before that. I go to work and then I come here and ... my daughter’s bike is sitting right there all melted and burned. It’s not a good sight.”
Kutsch doesn’t yet know when they will be able to go inside to retrieve whatever belongings they have left. But the building’s management will soon hold a meeting for all the tenants.
“They’ll let us know when we can go have a walk through and see if anything is salvageable, but we kind of highly doubt it at this point. I can almost guarantee that there’s pretty much nothing we can save. It’s all going to be smoke-damaged, burned, or water-damaged.”
While Kutsch was fortunate to find her dog, some residents are still looking for their pets. Firefighters rescued as many as possible.
Red Cross has been assisting the displaced residents with shelter and resources. The apartment’s management and Lethbridge Police Victim Services have also been assisting.
“It’s an event where everyone comes together and tries to provide everything they can,” said Saturley.
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