An elderly woman has died from her injuries following a fire caused by careless smoking at a supportive housing facility on Hamilton Road.
Firefighters were called to Maple Village Residence, which is a 45-unit, wheelchair accessible residence around the noon hour.
They fought to keep the woman alive before she was rushed to hospital.
Residents were evacuated due to thick smoke and taken to another residence on a bus.
The fire extinguished on its own and ventiliation work was started at the facility.
So far, in 2017, there have been over 20 fires caused by careless smoking, resulting in two deaths.
According to officials, of the last four fire deaths in London, three were attributed to careless smoking.
The London Fire Department has some tips for smokers to ensure their safety:
Encourage smokers to smoke outside.
• Do not extinguish cigarettes in plant pots, which may contain a mixture of peat moss, shredded wood and bark that can easily ignite.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Use large, deep ashtrays that cannot be knocked over.
• Empty ashes into a metal container – not the garbage can – and put it outside.
• If people have been smoking in your home, check behind chair and sofa cushions for cigarette butts.
• If you are a smoker, use reduced ignition propensity cigarettes. Reduced ignition propensity cigarettes have been designed to self-extinguish when left unpuffed. Cigarettes which do not have the reduced ignition propensity can continue burning when left unattended and can smolder if dropped on mattresses, furniture, or other combustible materials.
