John Street apartment evacuated following second-floor fire

Residents of an apartment building on John Street in downtown Kingston had a frightening and eventful night after a fire broke out in a second-floor apartment just after midnight.

Kingston Fire and Rescue (KFR) crews responded to the reported structure fire at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Mar. 7, 2019. There, the residents of the building had been evacuated thanks to the fire alarms and the superintendent of the building calling for everyone to get out.

“I was in bed and then I heard the alarms going off around midnight or a little after. Then I heard the superintendent yelling and banging the doors, saying ‘Everyone out!’” recalled Amanda Doyle, a resident in the building.

“The halls were so full of thick, black smoke and smelled like burnt plastic,” Doyle said.

“It was a little scary walking through smoke. I couldn’t see!”

Kingston Fire and Rescue’s three pumper trucks, a ladder truck, and a command vehicle attended to the fire, and extinguished the blaze in the second-storey apartment where it started. The fire was contained to one unit, according to KFR. A dog that was inside the building was rescued and brought out to its owners.

Smoke was removed from the building using positive pressure ventilation. Frontenac Paramedics were on scene and checked residents. There were no injuries, however, the residents did find themselves standing outside in the cold for approximately two hours.

According to KFR, smoke and fire damage is estimated at $80,000.

“KFR would like to remind everyone that candles should never be left unattended and to have working smoke detectors in place,” the fire department said in a press release.

The cause of the fire has yet to be released.