Flames tear through Arthur apartment

Tenants have been displaced after a fire ripped through an apartment in downtown Arthur.

Firefighters were called to the building on Charles Street just before noon Thursday. No one was hurt.

“When we arrived, we saw smoke coming from the eaves of the roof and when we went around to what we call the Charlie side of the building, there was flames venting out of a window,” said Marco Guidotti, deputy chief of Wellington North and Minto Fire Departments.

Smoke billows from a building in Arthur on Oct. 26, 2023. (Submitted/Susie Burns)

Video taken by a viewer shows flames shooting out of one of the building's second-storey windows.

Other photos show thick smoke billowing from the roof and windows.

“We had two fire departments, Wellington North and Minto Fire Departments attend,” Guidotti said. “Approximately 25 firefighters were on site.”

Viewer video show flames shooting out of a second-storey window. (Submitted)

The fire was contained to one unit on the upper floor and is believed to have started in the kitchen, according to fire officials.

“There is smoke and water damage to the business units below,” said a spokesperson for the Minto Fire Department.

The tenants in the building have been evacuated and it remains unclear how many people are impacted. Fire officials said businesses won’t be able to operate and there is no word on how long that will last.

“Right now, we are not allowing anybody to be inside the building, hydro has been turned off to the entire building,” Guidotti said. “There was heavy smoke damage, no one’s gonna be in there until that’s all cleaned up.”

Firefighters respond to a building in downtown Arthur on Oct. 26, 2023. (Dave Pettitt/CTV Kitchener)

Damage is pegged at more than $500,000.

The investigation remains ongoing but fire officials have deemed the fire accidental.

OPP confirmed that George Street is open but Charles Street will remain closed into Thursday evening.