London police, the Ontario Fire Marshal and Coroner’s Office continue to investigate a fire on Thursday that left one person dead and two in critical condition.
A post mortem examination of the deceased was scheduled for Friday, but London police say they are having difficulty locating relatives.
The man’s identity will not be released until the examination is complete and next of kin has been notified.
The fire broke out early in the morning hours on Thursday in a second floor unit of the 15-story complex at 85 Walnut Street. A cause has still not yet been determined.
About 200 residents, many of them elderly, had to be evacuated from the building.
Speaking from a London hotel room on Friday, Kim Dolphin was among those hospitalized after the fire and says “It was so hot it was like opening your mouth and breathing in an oven.”
The apartment she shared with her partner Keith was above the unit where the fire started, and they along with four elderly tenants had no way out.
They all tried to stay safe inside, then moved to the balcony, and were prepared to take the next step.
“I was thinking of tying the sheets together and putting everybody down, because we couldn’t stay there…The older women were crying and I told them to put their hands over their mouth and we’ll get down.”
Fortunately firefighters arrived seconds later and everyone was able to get out to safety.
As the investigation into the cause of the blaze continues, the search for suitable housing for those displaced is also ongoing.
Paul Roszell, the acting head of the London and Middlesex Housing Corporation, which manages the affordable housing units, says everything possible is being done to get residents back home as soon as possible.
He also wants to assure residents concerned about electrical work completed in the days before the fire that “The two are unrelated.”
