'Boom, boom, boom': London police and fire investigating suspicious car fire in parking garage
Heavy smoke and loud explosions woke up a number of residents in a high-rise apartment building Saturday morning at 50 Capulet Lane in London, Ont.
A fire broke out in the parking garage next to their building.
“It was like boom, boom, boom,” said Arwa Almardy who lives in the building. “I woke up and then I saw lots of smoke coming through my window, then there was like ten big booms.”
Almardy described the black smoke as “terrible” and says it made her niece cough when it came through her window.
“I don't recognize what an explosion sounds like, but it was really loud,” added Patricia Pigott, who could see the smoke pouring out of the garage.
A fire broke out in the unground parking garage of an apartment complex located at Capulet Lane and Beaverbrook Avenue on the morning of July 2, 2022. (Source: London Fire Department/Twitter)
What they heard was a car catching fire, and then spreading to the two adjacent vehicles.
“They heard the tires exploding, popping and freaked a lot of people out, of course,” said District Chief Kevin Culbertson of the London Fire Department.
“With the building right next to it, the smoke was going right up the side of the building on the west side. So yeah, it definitely probably [looked] to those people like their building was on fire,” he added.
London fire station six, which is just around the corner on Oxford Street, responded within minutes. But with so much smoke and the cars parked underneath, it made it difficult to locate.
“There's no ventilation readily available,” said Culbertson. “So we used the laser cameras, found the heat sources and it worked well. We had to use AFFF foam into there because of the gasoline from the cars on that.”
Cars were parked in the spaces outside the garage, which also made it tough to gain entry.
London police along with London fire and the Office of the Fire Marshal are investigating a suspicious car fire in a parking garage at 50 Capulet Lane July 2, 2022 (Brent Lale/CTV News London)“We were fortunate to find a nearby access,” added Culbertson. “Normally, you're humping hoses down multiple levels trying to find where we're going but we were lucky it was right there. We hit it hard, and hit it fast and luckily there were no electric cars in there.”
London fire is asking for a structural engineer to determine when it will be safe for tenants to get access to their vehicles.
Meanwhile, London police has deemed the fire to be suspicious, and the investigation has been assigned to the Street Crime Unit, with assistance of London fire and the Office of the Fire Marshal.
Police said there are no reported injuries and also no damage estimate at this time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
BREAKING Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.