Firemen drop soggy chunks of insulation from the third-storey window of an apartment building at 1586 Ernest Ave., Monday afternoon, after a fire was extinguished.
A frightened four-year-old London boy huddled close to his mother Monday afternoon while London firefighters tossed soggy chunks of insulation out of the window of his aunt’s fire-blackened and water-logged south London apartment.
“Dougie was playing with a lighter in the bedroom,” his badly shaken aunt told neighbors milling around outside the evacuated 24-unit apartment block at 1586 Ernest Ave.
Nobody was injured when flames erupted shortly after 3 p.m. in the third story apartment of Brad and Janice Brereton and their two young children.
Inside at the time were Mrs. Brereton, her daughter, Angie, 3, and son, Christopher, 2.
Douglas was visiting along with his mother, Brenda Brereton, Janice’s sister-in-law, and his brother Ryan, 18 months. Another sister, Tanya, 7, was at school.
“I don’t know where Dougie got the lighter,” his mother said.
“Janice noticed the smoke first and we got the kids out.”
Neighbor Terry Melanson turned in the alarm at 3:06 p.m. from her first-floor apartment, which had been burglarized only the night before from which a $160 diamond ring was stolen.
“The fire alarm went off and we were shouting “Fire! Everybody out” and the police came and made sure everybody got out,” Melanson said.
She said flames were shooting from the Brereton apartment windows, but city firefighters “were here in about five minutes” and had the fire out by about 5:30 p.m.
Property manager G. A. Anderson for Parkside Management, owners of the South Oak Terrace Apartments, said insurance representatives were touring the building Monday evening to determine the extent of damage.
He did not know how many residents had been evacuated.
District Fire Chief William Sanderson estimated damage at $35,000 and said all residents except those in the fire damaged apartment and the two water damaged units immediately below would probably return for the night.
Original Article (London Free Press)
