Fire damage to Kitchener townhouses expected to exceed $1M

Damage is expected to exceed $1M after a fire in the Huron Park neighbourhood. CTV’s Colton Wiens reports.

Flames ripped through a row of townhomes Thursday in the south-end of Kitchener.

Crews were called to Tudor Street, in the Huron Park neighbourhood, around 11:10 p.m.

Neighbours described the scene as chaotic.

“Immediately worried,” said Dennis Garcia. “From our window it looked very bad.”

Nick Arias was at the gym when he got a call from a friend.

“He’s like, ‘Your street’s on fire!’ I’m like, ‘What?’ I look on my camera and see everything engulfed in flames.”

Chirag Swamy lives in one of the four townhomes that was damaged. He said he was in bed when he heard firefighters banging on his front door, and rushed outside to safety

“It’s kind of a bit blank,” he said of those first few minutes. “I was in my nightshirt; I didn’t have pants on. Luckily my neighbour just offered me [pants].”

Officials described the structural damage as extensive.

“There were visible flames coming through the roof and quite a bit of smoke,” recalled Chris Gowing, the city’s chief fire prevention officer. “The two interior units sustained the most fire damage.”

According to the city, the cost to repair and rebuild could exceed $1 million.

“It’s totally destroyed because of the water damage,” Swamy said of his unit. “When we went inside, it was like drowning. The ceiling is torn apart. We can’t even believe that is our house.”

Luckily, no one was hurt.

The city said they are working to find temporary housing for all the residents who were displaced.

“It’s pretty terrifying,” Arias admitted. “But everybody was safe.”

He spent Friday helping with the cleanup.

“I’ve just got to be a Good Samaritan for the neighbourhood and try and clean up as best as I can,” Arias told CTV News. “I was supposed to go to work today but the whole entire driveway is covered in ashes. And all the trucks, all the cars. I couldn’t do it.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

“[We] will be investigating if the units had working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms,” Gowing explained. “I want to remind the public to ensure that they’re testing their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, that they’re operational and functional. These are life-saving devices, and they need to be maintained.”

Officials said the Ontario Fire Marshal was notified but decided not to visit the scene.