Family of 8 among 20 forced out of townhouses by fire
KITCHENER — Several families have been displaced after an early morning fire in a townhouse that was caused by a faulty light fixture.
Fire crews were called to the townhouse complex on Belmont Avenue near Glasgow Street on Friday at 3:50 a.m., where there was heavy smoke and flames coming from one of the units.
Doug Voisin, platoon chief with the Kitchener Fire Department, said a light fixture in the ceiling over a kitchen sink in one of the units caused the fire.
“It’s an older building with aluminum wiring and so sometimes that can be a problem depending on what fixtures and what caps and ends they use and connections,” he said.
The fire was extinguished by crews within minutes.
However, 20 residents in the affected and adjacent homes were forced to leave.
A Grand River Transit bus was brought to the fire site to be used as a warming station for those who had to vacate their homes.
No one was injured, but a family of eight from the affected unit have all been displaced, as well as a family of three who were in the unit below.
“Unit 17, underneath, suffered water damage,” said Voisin.
The Red Cross is helping those displaced with shelter and needed supplies.
Damage is estimated at $150,000.