'He was running out with fire on his T-shirt': Witnesses describe Waterloo townhouse fire
A Waterloo townhouse fire over the weekend has left one person with injuries and several people displaced from their homes. Investigators are continuing their work to find out what caused the Bluevale Street North fire.
Neighbours who witnessed the fire said it spread quickly from the garage all the way to the roof.
Kyle Lavigne was cooking breakfast Saturday morning when he heard some strange noises, causing him to run outside to take in a dramatic sight just two doors down.
“The whole house was up in flames. All I could see was fire hitting the trees,” Lavigne said.
The fire happened at around 11:30 a.m. at a townhouse, part of a four-unit complex.
“We just had to watch it happen and hope that it wouldn’t go to our unit,” added Lavigne.
The Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) arrived on scene Sunday, and has been looking into what caused the fire. Investigators say it originated in the garage and then spread into two other units through the roof. A car was parked in the garage during the fire and was later towed out.
Charred debris covers the driveway of this home on Bluevale Street in Waterloo after a fire tore through the building on Aug. 27, 2022. (CTV Kitchener)
“I believe we have it narrowed down to an area of the garage where it started but there’s a couple of things we’re looking into as far as causation,” Jordan Froese, provincial fire investigator, OFM, told CTV News.
The cause of the fire is not believed to be suspicious. Fire officials say the man who lives in the unit was outside of the home at the time of the fire and was taken to hospital with thermal injuries.
“He was running out with fire on his t-shirt,” said Rutvi Shah, who was a witness at the scene. “Luckily, he was able to clear the fire from the back. He was shaking his head and laid down in the grass.”
Kyle Lavigne is one of the people displaced by a fire on Bluevale Street North in Waterloo. (Carmen Wong/CTV Kitchener)
Investigators say there were people at home in the attached units, but everyone escaped safety, adding that Red Cross is assisting anyone unable to return home.
“Right now it’s just displaced us for the time being. For how long, we don’t know,” said Lavigne.
In the meantime, Lavigne is staying with family and friends and is thankful to have safely evacuated with his cats.
Fire officials say this incident serves as a reminder that working smoke alarms can save lives.
“Providing that early warning is sort of essential that you and your family can get out,” said Froese.
The damage is estimated at over $500,000.
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