As temperatures drop, those living without homes seek shelter wherever they can to stay warm – but it’s not always safe.
Fire crews were called to a building on St. Leger Street in Kitchener on Wednesday morning, where a woman is believed to be living downstairs.
Fire officials say her heat source may have caused the fire, and although she wasn’t there when crews went inside, there are concerns she could have been injured.
“There was a report of a female occupant,” said Tom Ruggle, Kitchener fire prevention officer. “We weren’t able to find her on the spot, but we suspect the cause of the fire was probably heating related.”
Seven trucks responded to the fire on St. Leger 216. The call was received at 5:20 am. When firefighters arrived, the rear of the building was engulfed in smoke and flames.
Fire officials said they were aware of reports that people may be living under the building, so they approached the fire accordingly.
“Crews had to cut a trench through the top of the building to stop the flame and smoke from migrating to the other side of the building to minimize damage,” said Patrick O’Halloran, Kitchener Fire assistant platoon chief.
Kitchener Fire said this is not the first such incident in the city.
“We had somewhere between 15 to 20 fires that were related to people living rough or in camps,” Ruggle said.
One of the most recent incidents was at an encampment in late December at Weber and Victoria streets in Kitchener – considered an accident.
A camp fire near Cambridge closed part of the 401 freeway last week.
The building’s owner admitted it was a lot to take in, but understood people were just trying to seek shelter from the cold.
“I’m sure they didn’t mean to do it, but they did a lot of damage to me,” owner Ed McCollough said.
To prevent such incidents from happening again, the fire safety officer suggests that homeless people make sure that their heating sources are safe. He said their team tries to spread the word and provide safer alternatives whenever possible.
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