An early morning fire on Attlee Avenue in New Sudbury today sent five people to hospital, four of them school-age children, Greater Sudbury Fire Service reports.
Acting Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell told Sudbury.com this morning that when the 9-1-1 call came in around 7:45 a.m., firefighters were able to respond especially quickly because Fire Station No. 3 on Leon Avenue is very close to Attlee.
“Crews could actually see the smoke” from the station, Oshell said.
Fortunately, he said, the five people in the second-floor apartment at the time of the fire made it out safely. All were transported to Health Sciences North by paramedics and treated for suspected smoke inhalation.
The five people were a father and his four children, ranging in age from around 6 to around 12, Oshell said. He said the family was getting ready to leave for school at the time of the fire.
A witness reported the father ran back into the building before firefighters arrived to rescue one of his children, who possibly got turned around in the smoke-filled apartment.
“The dad did a really brave thing,” Oshell said. “He went back in to rescue one of the children.”
A witness also reported that two people jumped from a window to escape the fire.
Although the Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office has been called in to investigate, it looks like the fire started in the kitchen, Oshell said.
“The probable cause is a kitchen fire, most likely from unattended cooking,” he said.
Damage is extensive in the kitchen, Oshell said, but smoke damage extends throughout the apartment. He estimated damages to be in the $150,000 range.
Oshell said the fire should serve as a reminder to the members of the public to always have a home escape plan in place, and to ensure all members of the household know their escape routes, and is a reminder never to leave a stove unattended while cooking.
