No injuries reported after third-floor fire at Rideaucrest Towers

Smoke hung in the air briefly over the waters of the Great Cataraqui River late this morning after a fire broke out in an apartment within Rideaucrest Towers.

The smoke billowed from a window of the apartment building, which shares property with Rideaucrest Home on Rideau Street along the inner harbour. Kingston Fire and Rescue crews were called to the complex at approximately 11:32 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. As the smoke quickly dissipated, the damage due to the fire became evident, with the windows blown out of the residential unit and the bricks around the unit blacked from the smoke and flames.

“We got called here for a fire on the third floor, and the fire alarm was activated on the third floor. So, when firefighters arrived, they did discover fire on the third floor, and the occupants of that unit had gone to the stairwell,” said Fire Prevention Officer Del Blakney, as firefighters continued to work on the scene, putting out hot spots and ventilating the building.

“Firefighters helped bring some people down and, at this time, everyone is out and safe. The fire is contained to the third floor, and we’re just about to start our investigation to determine what happened up there.”

Frontenac Paramedics attended the scene, but it is unclear if any of the residents were taken to hospital for possible smoke inhalation.

Rideaucrest Towers is a residential apartment building owned by the City of Kingston and operated by Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation. Neighbouring Rideaucrest Home is a long-term care home owned and operated by the City of Kingston.

Kingstonist has reached out to Kingston Fire and Rescue and Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation to determine if any residents have been displaced by the fire, if the cause of the fire is known, and the extent and estimated cost of the damages resulting from the incident. No response was received by time of publication.

Kingstonist will update this article if/when more information becomes available.