Fatal Fire in St. Thomas
St. Thomas Fire officials have confirmed one person has died after a fire near the downtown core.
The blaze in a six-unit apartment building at 17 Mitchell St. broke out around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Most residents were alerted by smoke alarms and exited as firefighters arrived.
However, one person inside a heavily damaged upper-floor unit remained inside as firefighters rushed in.
“Once they entered the apartment, they did find the one resident in the apartment deceased,” stated Kim Destun, the chief fire prevention officer with St. Thomas fire.
The resident was rushed to the hospital in an attempt to save their life.
No name has been released.
A dozen residents have been displaced. Many are temporarily staying at a local hotel.
Karen Berger is one resident who said she feels fortunate to have escaped the fire.
Returning with her son Nicholas to collect some belongings, she recalled the moment the blaze began and said Nicholas was at work when she was startled about 4:30 p.m.
“Well, I heard a big noise then I heard the alarms going off. Then I checked into the hallway and it was full of smoke and I got out right away,” said Berger.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office is expected on the scene Friday.
The blaze is not considered suspicious.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.