The Kingsway was closed between Bancroft Rd. and Lloyd St. and traffic re-routed for one and a half hours around lunchtime Friday because of an apartment kitchen fire.
Firefighters responded to a 9-1-1 call at 10:54 am after fire broke out in the kitchen of one of the apartment units at 504 The Kingsway. The first floor of the building also houses the cell phone dealer Butler Communications and a vacant business unit.
The dozen or so people who were in the building at the time,
including the four people in the affected apartment, escaped
unharmed, said platoon chief Tony Thibeault.
“Crews were on the scene within minutes and had it out.
The damage is contained to the kitchen of the one apartment. Just
the kitchen is gutted. Our guys broke the window so that we could
get ventilation for our guys to work in a safe manner,”
he said.
“We're just waiting for the electrical safety
authority to come over and inspect the area, and either rule out
that it was an electrical fire or confirm that it was an electrical
fire.”
Police closed The Kingsway because fire hoses were hooked up to a
hydrant across the street, and having cars drive across the hoses
would have caused problems, said Thibeault.
Red Cross volunteers were on the scene to help the victims of the
fire. The victims don't seem to be very well off to begin
with, said the platoon chief.
“They (the Red Cross) can help assist these people with
any of their needs. They can find them a place to stay for a couple
of days, and get them clothing and toiletries.”
