Fire marshal investigating after elderly woman died in Sarnia apartment fire

The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall is investigating after an elderly woman died in a weekend apartment fire in Sarnia, Ont.

Fire crews responded to a five-storey apartment building in the 1100 block of Afton Drive, near Murphy Road, at around 11:40 a.m. Sunday after reports of an alarm.

Fire crews encountered smoke in the main floor hallway.

Officials said the fire was contained to a main floor apartment, confined to the furniture in the living room, and was quickly brought under control.

Chief Fire Prevention Officer Roel Bus told CTV News a woman in her 80s was found deceased inside the unit. There were no other injuries.

“It’s really unfortunate and just after a year that we had a record number of fatalities in the province, 133,” said Bus. “We are on the way again to have quite a few fatalities, and it’s just really sad, and unfortunately it happens very quickly.”

According to the fire department, the unit did have a working smoke alarm. Damage is estimated at $100,000.

Crews responded to a fatal fire in Sarnia on April 9, 2023. (Source: Sarnia police)