'You couldn't see your hand': Residents rush for balconies during Tillsonburg apartment tower fire

There were some dramatic rescues following a large apartment fire in Tillsonburg, Ont. Tuesday morning.

Around 7 a.m., alarms sounded as flames broke out on the fourth floor of 195 Lisgar Ave.

On the sixth floor, Carole Manary opened her door to find people in the hallways saying, ‘Don’t use the elevator.'

Fire officials say residents are primarily seniors and those with accessibility needs.

Most are unable to use stairs, but within moments Manary says it did not matter.

“Five minutes later, I looked out, and you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face. So we knew it was serious.”

She and another occupant quickly put wet towels under the door and headed for the only place they could breathe easily. “We went out the balcony," she says.Carole Manary is seen outside an evacuation centre after her apartment building caught fire in Tillsonburg, Ont. on March 8, 2022. (Sean Irvine CTV News)Manary was fortunate not to live directly below the billowing smoke and flames, which several people, including nearby resident Stacey Hoffman, witnessed from the ground.

“When I came out, there was a fire going up the walls and flames licking out. It was quite terrible. I couldn’t believe it.”

Moments later, multiple engines arrived at the scene. With elevators and stairwells not an option for those above the flames, Tillsonburg Fire Chief Shane Caskanette says an evacuation plan was created.

“Upon arrival, there was heavy fire, heavy smoke and a number of occupants on their balconies that needed rescue.”

An aerial ladder with a bucket quickly began collecting people and bringing them to the ground.

“That was a ride I never expected to take,” Manary tells CTV London.Tillsonburg fire chief Shane Caskanette is seen outside 195 Lisgar Ave. on March 8, 2022. (Sean Irvine CTV News)But as she made it to safety, those with families in the building started to arrive.

Willa Carrier spent several nervous moments worrying until she realized her aunt had made it down the stairs from her third-floor apartment. Her unit is just below another where firefighters had knocked a window out.

Carrier was emotional in her relief, saying, “My aunt … I’m just glad she’s ok," before breaking down.

Thankfully more than 50 residents were safely on the ground within a few hours. No one was seriously injured.

Residents were taken to a local community centre, as chief Caskanette says it may be a while before they can return home.

“It will take some time to get the occupants back in there. So, what we are asking occupants to do, if they have a family please reach out to them, to do so, and if not please reach out to Salvation Army or Red Cross.”

Although it is known the fire started in a fourth-floor unit, an official cause is not yet determined.

But, even as residents await answers, Manary is expressing thanks to firefighters and other emergency responders.

“I could speak highly enough of them”, she concluded.