'My husband broke down the door': Fatal townhouse fire in Kitchener under investigation

One person is dead after a townhouse fire in Kitchener.

Three stations were called to the scene at Holborn Drive around 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

The fire tore through one unit of the complex, causing extensive damage and forcing neighbours to evacuate.

"My husband broke down the door so he thought they were in the unit, he broke the door down and started screaming but they weren't in there and we didn't hear anything and there was so much smoke that he was not going in," said Samantha Nowak who lives in the neighbouring unit.

Nowak says it was a frightening moment when she heard loud noises coming from the unit beside her in the early hours of the morning.

"We heard a lot of yelling and then we smelled smoke around 4:30 in the morning and that's when the first fire started," she said. "I could smell the smoke in my bedroom so I leaned my head out and I could see all the smoke coming out of their bedroom."

After she was told by emergency personnel there was nothing more to worry about, Nowak and her family went back to sleep, only to be woken up just a few hours later.

"And then around 8:00 a.m., we were woken up again that the fire wasn't fully put out and that it re-lit and we had to evacuate our units."

In a media release from Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS), they say “a male with severe injuries was located while extinguishing the fire. The male, now identified as a 37-year-old from Kitchener, was pronounced deceased at a local hospital.”

"There's a mother and daughter and then there's a boyfriend that comes and goes," Nowak said.

The origin and cause of the fire is currently unknown. Damage is estimated at $200,000.

"Well, my daughter has respiratory issues so I want to make sure she's good,” said Nowak.

She says the ordeal has shaken up residents of the complex and also says it was a wake up call when it comes to preparedness for emergency situations.

"When we were evacuated, I had to make sure I had her tubing, I had her suction machine, I had her formula and there's so much I have to be able to grab, so I was not ready for that at all," Nowak said.

The investigation is ongoing by the Office of the Fire Marshal and WRPS.