THUNDER BAY – Platoon Chief John Kaplanis reports, “Just after 08:30hrs this morning, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue responded to a report of smoke coming from a two-story residence in the 200 block of Van Horne St. A second alarm was ordered while crews were en route to the incident”.
Upon arrival, the initial TBFR on the scene reported heavy smoke and flame at the rear of the structure coming from a window on the second floor. Fire crews immediately conducted an exterior attack while the next arriving crews prepared to enter the home to conduct a search of the interior.
As crews made their way to the second floor to fully extinguish the flames in a bedroom, they also searched for any additional occupants and found none inside.
Damage to the second floor was heavy. There was also smoke and water damage to the main floor of the residence. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by TBFR at this time.
An adult female occupant was home at the time of the blaze.
However she was asleep in the basement of the home, and she was unaware of the fire upstairs. Firefighters quickly located and removed her from the home safely. The female was transferred to EMS paramedics on the scene for medical assessment. She was later released from their care at the scene. A dog was also removed unharmed from the residence.
A total of five pumper/rescue trucks, one aerial ladder truck, a Command vehicle, and a fire investigation unit responded to the incident. Homeowners, landlords, and tenants are reminded that working smoke detectors are required on all levels of an occupied residence.
