THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Thunder Bay Fire Rescue was on scene of a house fire on March 2nd. The investigation following into two unrelated apartment fires have been determined to have been caused by careless disposal of smoker’s materials in both cases.
On the evening of March 2, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue responded to a reported structural fire at an apartment on Archibald Street. Fire crews discovered a fire in the basement suite of the building. No one was in the suite at the time of the fire, but an infant from an adjacent unit was transported to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) on concerns of smoke inhalation. The child was subsequently released. An investigation has determined this fire to be a result of careless disposal of smoker’s materials.
On the afternoon of March 4, Fire crews responded to reports of the smell of smoke in an apartment building on Simpson Street. Fire crews entered a suite to find a person asleep on a smoldering mattress. Two people were transported to TBRHSC due to concerns of intoxication. Careless disposal of smoker’s materials has also been deemed to have caused this fire.
In both cases, Fire crews determined that tenants had disabled smoke alarms. These tenants may now face charges.
“It is the responsibility of both the building owner and the tenant to ensure that each suite is properly equipped with working smoke alarms,” said Fire Chief John Hay.
