Tenants ‘lucky’ to escape Sunday morning Thorold fire

Smoke alarms likely saved six lives in Thorold early Sunday morning.

“They were lucky,” said Thorold fire Chief Brian Dickson.

“It was a big fire.”

Thorold firefighters responded to the two-storey home at 34 Elgin St. just after 5 a.m. Sunday. By the time they arrived, flames and heavy smoke had engulfed the building.

The building housed three separate rental units — basement, ground level and second floor — and was home to six people.

Dickson said the basement and ground floor units had working smoke alarms, which alerted tenants to the fire. The upper level did not have a smoke detector, but the other residents alerted the upstairs resident and everyone had escaped the building by the time fire crews arrived.

“They were lucky to get out,” he said. “They got out just in time.”

No one was taken to hospital.

It’s suspected the fire began on the front porch and was likely caused by improper disposal of a cigarette, said Dickson.

Damage is estimated at $120,000. In rental units, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to ensure there are working smoke detectors in every unit. If not, owners will be charged or fined for failing to install an alarm. And if tenants are found to have removed smoke alarms, they can be charged or fined with failing to maintain an alarm in an operating condition, he said.

The message is clear: “Thorold Fire takes a zero tolerance.”

To date this year, there have been 40 fire fatalities in Ontario. At many scenes there were no working alarms, he said. “Early warning is key.”

In May, Thorold firefighters will be going door-to-door, checking some 1,200 homes to ensure they have working alarms. Crews from other departments in Niagara will be doing the same.

Two pets, a dog and a cat, were pulled from Sunday’s blaze. They both survived.

Dickson cautioned people not to return into a burning house to rescue pets. Leave that to firefighters.