Kingston CACC back to normal after fire prompts evacuation of office

After a vehicle fire forced the evacuation of the City Place 2 building yesterday, it’s business as usual for the Kingston Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC).

The fire broke out in an underground parking lot at approximately 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, and prompted the evacuation of all offices within the building, which is located at the corner of Sir John A Macdonald Boulevard and John Counter Boulevard. The Kingston CACC is headquartered out of City Place 2, and dispatches ambulances throughout all of southeastern Ontario. Kingston Fire and Rescue responded quickly to the incident, and worked to ensure the fire was out, smoke was removed from the building, and that the building was safe.

While outside of their regular office, the CACC officers relocated and worked for the rest of the day out of their secondary site in the west end of the city. As of 7 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, the Kingston CACC was back in its usual headquarters at City Place 2, according to those with the CACC. During the temporary relocation, all 9-1-1 services were not interrupted.

“It’s the nature of the job for our Ambulance Communications Officers to remain calm during an emergency,” said Kingston CACC Director Mark Halladay. “Thanks to superior training and experience, the team excelled at continuing to deliver a critical emergency service during their own challenging situation.”

The remains of the vehicle that caught fire were removed from the City Place 2 location at 1473 John Counter Boulevard at approximately 12:46 p.m.

According to Kingston Fire and Rescue, the cause for the vehicle fire in the basement of the building has not yet been determined and is still under investigation.