More stories of survival and self-sacrifice are emerging after a deadly fire at a London highrise Thursday that left one person dead and two in critical condition.
The fire broke out early in the morning hours of Thursday in a second floor unit of the 15-storey complex at 85 Walnut Street.
About 200 residents, many of them elderly live in the building.
Kim Dolphin and her partner Keith lived above the unit where the fire began and had no way out. Four other elderly tenants were in the same situation and came to them for help.
“It was so hot. It was like opening your mouth and breathing in an oven.” Dolphin recalls.
Kim and Keith first tried to protect them from the smoke inside then on the balcony. Soon, they felt they had only one option left to save their lives.
“I was thinking of tying the sheets together and putting everybody down, because we couldn’t stay there. The older women were crying and I told them to put their hands over their mouth and we’ll get down.” Dolphin tells CTV News.
A firefighter eventually came to help.
London police, the Ontario Fire Marshal and Coroner’s Office continue to investigate but have not yet confirmed a cause.
With files from CTV London
