Candle sparked $300,000 fire at Dundas apartment

A candle that ignited drapes inside a seventh-floor Dundas apartment unit sparked a fire that sent one man to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Hamilton Fire was called to the structure fire at 101 Governor’s Rd., west of Ogilvie Street, around 7:40 p.m. Saturday. The fire caused $300,000 damage.

Firefighters found heavy fire and smoke coming from a unit on the top floor of the building and the fire was upgraded to a multiple alarm, said spokesperson Claudio Mostacci.

The fire was quickly extinguished, and contained to the single unit, he said. However, smoke damage meant all occupants from the other 29 apartment units on the seventh floor could not return home Saturday night.

The Red Cross was called in to assist 11 tenants from six apartment units who did not have somewhere else to go.

“There was a very heavy smell of smoke in a lot of the apartments ... they have to air them out,” Mostacci said, adding that there are many seniors who live in the building.

At the time of the fire other residents from neighbouring units found the hallway smoky, and so they went back in their apartments and out onto their balconies. Mostacci said “sheltering in place” was the best thing they could have done.

Once the fire was out, firefighters then went door-to-door and evacuated the seventh floor.

There were two people in the unit where the fire began, including the man who went to hospital, and woman who was not injured, he said.

He had briefly remained in the apartment unit trying to extinguish the fire, before leaving on his own.