Kingston Fire and Rescue deem Connaught Street fire ‘suspicious’

Smoke filled the Kingscourt neighbourhood for the second time in as many weeks after a fire broke out at a residence on Connaught Street on Wednesday, Apr. 5, 2023.

While a shed fire that occurred on Friday, Mar. 31, 2023, may have caused extensive damages, it differs from the more recent fire on Connaught Street in that Kingston Fire and Rescue have deemed the Connaught Street fire “suspicious.” Just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, firefighters were called to the Kingscourt neighbourhood after receiving reports of an active structure fire.

“Arriving firefighters observed a fire on exterior stairs of a two storey multi-unit apartment building that extended to the side of the building. Firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control and were on scene for approximately 1.5 hours,” the local fire department said later that day in an email to Kingstonist.

At the time, Kingston Fire and Rescue estimated the cost of damages around $25,000. The investigation into the cause of the fire remained ongoing at that time. However, since then, the local fire department has increased that estimate to approximately $45,000 and noted that the fire “is considered suspicious,” Kingston Fire and Rescue relayed via social media on Thursday, Apr. 6, 2023.

Thankfully, “no civilians or firefighters were injured during the fire event, and no tenants have been displaced from the building,” Kingston Fire and Rescue said.

Because the fire is considered suspicious in nature, Kingston Police have been called in to investigate. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Kingston Police at 613-549-4660.