'Wake up': Officials urge action after fatal Guelph, Ont. townhouse fire

“Please, please, please, let this be the last day that your home is unprotected from fire. Please take action immediately. Don’t go one more night having without working smoke alarms.”

Ontario Fire Marshal, Jon Pegg, is pleading for action after two women were killed in a Guelph, Ont. house fire early Monday morning. One woman died at the Edinburgh Road South property, while the other later succumbed to her injuries. Two others who escaped the burning home were treated for smoke inhalation. Their injuries were described as minor.

Guelph’s fire chief, who was also at the joint press conference with Pegg, had strong words for residents.

“I am pleading with our citizens to wake up,” Brian Arnold begged. “Wake up and take responsibility.”

Officials confirmed that the townhouse did not have working smoke alarms.

“Tragically, this is a trend that we’re seeing across the province far too often,” Pegg said, adding that there were 133 fatalities across Ontario in 2022, which he called the “largest number on record.”

That trend has continued into 2024.

“My plea to everyone here today is please check your smoke alarms,” Pegg continued. “Take the five minutes that it takes to check your entire house, make sure that you have working smoke alarms. There are two things that will save your life and your family’s lives in the event of a tragic fire: smoke alarms going off, giving you early notification to alert you to get out of the house, and a home escape plan.”

Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg (at the podium) during a press conference to discuss a fatal Guelph fire on March 14, 2024. He, along with Guelph Fire Chief Brian Arnold (right), urged residents to have working smoke alarms. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

Chief Arnold also voiced his frustration.

“It is clear that here in Guelph, and across the province, that our collective fire and life safety public education is not syncing in. All too often we are finding homes without working smoke alarms. They are either not installed, expired, had their batteries removed, or the alarms are removed all together,” he said.

In the days since the deadly fire, firefighters have checked neighbouring homes.

“Guelph Fire has canvassed the remaining townhouses in this complex and found that many units still do not have working smoke alarms,” Arnold said. “We have provided, and even installed, many alarms for those units just to make sure they are protected.”

A community education program, he added, is planned this spring.

“Please, let us in,” Arnold urged residents.

In the meantime, the chief wants residents to take a proactive approach.

“Call the fire department. We will help you. We want you to be safe,” Arnold stressed. “Call your landlord. They must help you. It is the law.”

Emergency services are pictured at the scene of a fatal house fire in Guelph on March 11, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

He said tragedies like the one on Edinburgh Road South are hard on the family, the community and first responders.

“They are exposed to traumatic events, which could be carried by them throughout the rest of their lives,” Arnold explained. “While we choose to serve, we are human beings and we cannot avoid the moral injury.”

The investigation has wrapped up on Edinburgh Road South but the case isn’t closed.

“When we do an investigation we look for really three things, three main areas: fire cause, fire origin and fire circumstance,” explained Pegg. “Obviously fire cause is what started the fire, fire origin would be where the fire began, and circumstance are those things that either positively or negatively affected the response and the outcome.”

Investigators are also looking into two other fires that happened within 24 hours of the Edinburgh Road South incident. Both of those homes had working smoke alarms.

Fire tape surrounds a home on Kirkland Street in Guelph on March 12, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

“I wish I could stand here and say we’ll never have another fire here in Ontario,” Pegg concluded. “I know that isn’t the case. But I think we can stand here and say we should never have another fatal fire here in Ontario. It takes action from every one of us, every resident across in Ontario, to check their fire alarms. If you’re a landlord, make sure you tenants are protected. Every single one of us should have working smoke alarms and have home escape plans to get out safely.”