Rash of apartment fires has fire department reminding tenants to keep doors closed
The London Fire Department is reminding apartment dwellers to keep their doors shut to help prevent the spread of fire, and to have an escape plan in place for when one does take place.
It comes as fire crews have found themselves battling a rash of fires at multi-unit dwellings over the last several weeks.
“Fire does not wait,” said fire inspector, Chris Rennie, with the LFD.
In a tour of a Godfrey Drive apartment building where a fire took place last Saturday, Insp. Rennie pointed out the bedroom where the fire began, and explained how the fire was largely contained simply by keeping the bedroom door closed.
“And for this door to be closed it stopped the spread of fire,” Rennie said. “With the fire alarm in the building, that activated tenants to get out safely.”
He said last year’s message from the office of the Ontario Fire Marshall was ‘close before you doze,’ and he said it’s a message that has proven timely in 2022.
Closing doors to a unit also prevents fire from spreading down a main corridor, keeping others safe, said Insp. Rennie.
“When all the occupants left, of course, they shut their doors,” he said. “So we have no fire in any other units here. It was contained to there with the door closed, and the smoke spread in the hallway.”
Rennie adds that the same goes for exterior doors. While it may be convenient to keep them propped open for a time, Rennie says remember to shut them when you’re finished with your tasks.
Meantime, unlike the way houses are built, Insp. Rennie said apartment units have fire separation.
“So we compartmentalize each unit,” he said. “So this unit is fire rated, to protect and stop the spread of smoke and fire to the next unit. When you’re in an open house, especially nowadays with the open concept, that allows oxygen to entrain and allow that fire to grow faster.”
Most importantly, Rennie stresses having an escape plan, and having working smoke alarms.
“The last thing we want is injuries,” he said. “If we can prevent fires before they happen, that’s our goal — so please have a working smoke alarm.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.