'He needed help and didn’t get it': Neighbours say man who died in London, Ont. fire had mental health issues

Neighbours describe Jeremy Carson as a “kind-hearted man and talented jeweller,” but add that he recently struggled with mental health issues.

Carson passed away on the night of March 9, 2024 after a fire in his unit at 33 Becher St. in London.

His dog was able to escape and is now living with another resident across the street.

“He needed help and didn't get it, and we want to know why not,” said neighbour and friend Adam McNeill. “We lost a neighbour and friend in a really tight knit, supportive community.”

McNeill and other residents in the area said Carson’s mental state started devolving in recent weeks.

“'We rallied to get this person the support they needed,” said McNeill.

Flames shoot through the roof of 33 Becher St. as fire destroyed a six-unit housing complex on March 9, 2024. (Source: Darryl Ayles) He added,  “The authorities did come and take him away whether he wanted that help or not. We were relieved, and we thought he's going to get the help he needs. Twelve hours later he was dropped off and his situation continued to degenerate in a tragic and sad way. There was nothing more we could do.”

Less than a week later, the six-unit complex — where Carson lived — went up in flames, throwing the lives of seven other displaced tenants into upheaval.

Michael Norwood lives right above the unit which caught fire, and remembers a wall of smoke hitting his apartment.

He said be believed someone had left their stove on, and walked out into what would be the equivalent of “pea soup.”

“I got halfway down the stairs and one of my neighbours was screaming, ‘Get out! Get out! Fire! Fire!’” recalled Norwood.

A London Police Service forensic photographer takes a photo of the home after a fatal fire at 33 Becher St. in London, Ont., on Sunday March. 10, 2024. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV News London)

He left with nothing but the clothes on his back. He’s been given a jacket, and some clothes by those who live in the area, and his employer the Wortley Roadhouse has also raised some money.

He’s staying at his mother’s house and a GoFundMe campaign has been set up for him.

On Monday he was at the site hoping to retrieve some personal items, but the roof had collapsed in the room with most of his valuables.

“I'm in shock, and I still haven't come to terms with it yet,” said Norwood.

All day Sunday and Monday, the London Police Service’s Major Crimes Section, along with investigators from the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal, have been on scene trying to determine the cause and origin of the fire which caused $1.5 million in damage.

“We'll be today [Monday], into tomorrow as well” said Platoon Chief Colin Shewell of the London Fire Department. “It is a very in-depth, complicated-type investigation.” 

An investigator from the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal sifts through the rubble of the apartment belonging to a deceased man at 33 Becher St. in London, Ont. on March 11, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)