One person has died as a result of Monday’s apartment fire across from Fanshawe College.
The blaze broke out around 11:15 a.m. at 1451 Oxford St. East, at the corner of Ayreswood Avenue. The fire started in a rear unit on the second floor.
Fire crews were forced to rescue two people from the building as they worked to douse the flames. One person was in a third floor unit at the front of the building facing Oxford St. East. Fire fighters broke the window and retrieved the patient, bringing them to waiting Middlesex-London EMS crews. The second person was found on the second floor near the rear of the apartment building and had to be carried out.
Paramedics then transported both patients to hospital.
London Police confirmed on Wednesday morning that one person had died as a result of the injuries sustained in the fire.
The victim’s name, age, and hometown will not be released until next of kin is notified. The exact cause of death is not known, but a post mortem is scheduled for November 6th.
As with all deaths that occur outside of a hospital, the London Police Major Crimes Unit is now involved in the case.
Officials have not released a condition update on the other victim.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, but the Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating.
The building is an assisted living apartment complex where tenants live independently. The fire displaced approximately 29 people. Those residents who are not staying with friends or family have been relocated to the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope.
“We’ll continue to give them space as long as they need it and if it does become a long term issue, (we’ll) try and help them find other housing in the community if that does become necessary in the future,” Salvation Army spokesperson Perron Goodyear tells AM980.
The damage estimate from the fire stands at $50,000. The heat and smoke caused by the flames had caused extensive damage to the second floor while the entire building was impacted by the smoke.
Meantime, new information about the building was released on Tuesday.
Fire officials say they were actually already on their way to the building when the fire broke out on Monday to inspect the site for the fifth time in five days, as it has been on their radar for quite some time.
Last Friday, the property owner had been issued three tickets related to smoke alarm violations.
It’s still not clear at this point whether any charges will be laid.
Source: One Person Dies Following Oxford Street Apartment Fire | (CFPL AM) AM 980
