Displaced tenants of St. Thomas fire grateful for support as they try to figure out next steps

Investigators are back at the scene of a major fire in St. Thomas, Ont.

The Thursday night blaze on Ross Street has left at least eight people homeless.

Cody Bennett is among them. He watched Thursday night as firefighters tried to save the structure he has called home for seven years.

Just a few hours earlier, he had been sitting on the back porch when another tenant suddenly appeared.

“Our neighbour came out screaming, ‘The house is on fire, I need help!” he recalled.

Cody and another tenant sprung into action, but it took only moments for the two men to realize they were already out of time.

“I just saw orange and yellow burning flames coming through the back window,” he said.

Firefighters arrived shortly afterward and immediately searched the structure for anyone left inside.

All were accounted for, but one man received minor burns.

By Friday morning, the century home has been boarded up and secured, while a police cruiser guarded the scene.

A fire at a St. Thomas, Ont. building has left eight people homeless and one person injured on Jan. 25, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

Investigators said it will take time to determine the cause — but they do know where the fire started.

“We were able to determine it started in the kitchen in an upper unit," Fire Inspector Kim Destun said Friday afternoon.

Crews quickly slowed the progression of the flames, but the fire was not out until 9:30 p.m.

“These buildings are challenges. There is quite a lot of extra space that you can’t see from the outside, which makes it a challenge to get the hotspots out,” Destun said.

Looking at the remains of the building, Cody wonders where he will go next.

But for now, he is thankful for the efforts of relief agencies.

The Red Cross is among those aiding displaced tenants.

“I feel glad that everybody in this city helping us out,” he said. “If nobody came and helped us, we’d probably be on the street right now.” 

A fire at a St. Thomas, Ont. building has left eight people homeless and one person injured on Jan. 25, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)