Aylmer residents praise exhausted firefighters
Emergency services in Aylmer, particularly the fire department, are having an exhausting week.
As crews still cope with the aftermath of a major downtown fire, another blaze destroyed a home under construction.
At 2:35 a.m. on Friday, a 911 call sent multiple engines to a nearly completed structure on Aspen Parkway — the street is inside a new subdivision.
“When crews arrived, the upper storey was completely involved. Very little fire on the first level,” Chief Todd McKone told CTV London.
The home, which had not yet been occupied, is a total loss with damage estimated at $1-million.
The fire has been deemed suspicious. Aylmer Police and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office (OFM) are investigating.
Firefighters cleared the scene around 9 a.m., the same time salvage crews arrived at the site of the downtown fire.
For now, they are only cleaning up debris around the portions of the building which still stand.
As a result, Talbot Street from John to Queen Streets remains closed.Anne Harder operated a business inside a century building destroyed by fire in downtown Aylmer, Ontario. March 24, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
Anne Harder was watching the cleanup at the backside of the building.
She owns a now-destroyed accounting business. Its office was on the ground floor.
Harder told CTV News London she was inside the burning building Monday around 8:15 p.m. when suddenly, another tenant told her to get out quickly.
“And then it all happened from there. It went downhill,” she said.
But like many in Aylmer, Harder reflects on the compassionate work of firefighters. She said one prevented her from going back to get documents still inside the building.
“He convinced me not to run back in for anything. He was very reassuring and supporting,” said Harder.
On Friday, as salvage crews handed over tax files that survived the blaze, Harder continued her accolades.
But she is not alone.
Bob Nesbitt speaks highly of the Aylmer fire department after two major fires in recent days. March 24, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)Town resident Bob Nesbitt, a one-time volunteer firefighter, also had kind words.
“We’ve got a great fire department. There is no doubt about it. Also, the surrounding areas, we want to thank them for coming to help us out,” said Nesbitt.
Still, Nesbitt and a collective chorus of Aylmer residents are hopeful the string of fires is over.
“Get things back to normal, that’s what we need," Nesbitt said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.