HAMILTON — A massive fire that broke out inside a Hamilton, Ont. townhouse complex this morning has destroyed or severely damaged 11 units and potentially left dozens of people without a home.
The Hamilton Fire Department says the multi-alarm inferno erupted on Edenrock Drive in the city’s east side around 2:40 a.m. and quickly enveloped multiple units.
Video footage from the scene showed towering flames and thick smoke billowing into the night sky.
Authorities are unsure at this point what caused the fire, but Ontario Fire Marshal investigator Manny Garcia says it began as an exterior fire then spread through the roof lining of the townhouse block.
Garcia says the blaze was almost fully extinguished by 10 a.m., with fire crews dousing a few remaining hotspots.
He added, however, that the units were so badly damaged that there is concern the entire structure could cave in on itself.
“The mortar is compromised, the walls behind it are compromised, and quite frankly, it could collapse at any time,” Garcia told reporters.
Garcia could not confirm how many people had been displaced by the fire, but estimated anywhere between 40 and 80 people were living in the units.
Earlier, Hamilton Fire Chief Dave Cunliffe told a news conference that all the units were occupied but there had been no reports of injuries, either among the residents or firefighters.
He said the end portion of a block of three units was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived around 3:00 a.m. and that strong winds fanned the flames, causing the fire to quickly spread to a second block containing eight units.
Cunliffe added that the destruction could have been even worse.
“Crews made a valiant effort and were able to stop this fire before it got to the third block of eight units to the north. That was done through the use of high-volume water streams and aerial operations,” he said.
Damage from the blaze is expected to run into the millions of dollars.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2020.
The Canadian Press
