Police aren’t confirming the identity of a person killed Thursday when fire broke out at a Stratford apartment building until an autopsy is completed in London.
That won’t happen until Monday at the earliest, but residents of the building tell CTV News the victim was a mother who used a wheelchair, lived with multiple sclerosis and had not been living in the building for long.
“If it’s the girl that I think it is, she was very nice,” says resident David Martin.
Officials have said that they believe the victim was the sole occupant of the fifth-floor apartment where she was found.
Fire broke out around 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the five-storey building on Campbell Court.
Firefighters were able to extinguish it, then found the victim in the apartment where the fire is believed to have started.
Cheshire Homes of London, an organization which supports independent living for seniors and people with disabilities, says the victim was one of their clients.
“We feel very badly that there was a fire … and that people were affected,” says Cheshire Homes spokesperson Judi Fisher.
About 30 people were evacuated from the building due to the fire, but were allowed back in Thursday night.
The investigation into the fire continued Friday, led by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
