At least three families were displaced after a house fire in Kitchener on Friday night, according to the Kitchener Fire Department.
Caroline Montano said it was about 8pm when she heard a loud knock on her front door on Donnenwerth Drive. Someone came to warn her of the fire in the home associated with her in the city complex.
“Our neighbor’s house was on fire from the top, so we just had to evacuate quickly with my son and my husband,” Montano said. “We’re just trying to figure out where we’re going to stay right now. The house is quite saturated with the smell of smoke at the moment, so it is not safe for our son to stay there and what not. “
According to Andy O’Reilly, chief of the Kitchener Fire Department platoon, several homes were affected by the fire and at least three families were displaced.
“Two units were badly affected by the fire in the roof area. A third unit has moderate damage and the other two currently have only minor smoke damage,” O’Reilly said on Friday.
According to O’Reilly, 33 firefighters responded to the incident to allow crews to turn as they battled the blaze.
He said fire crews had arrived for heavy smoke coming from the home.
“There was heavy fire in the back, spreading on the siding in the roof area, with heavy fire coming through the roof of 79,” O’Reilly said. “Most of the damage is in the third floor and attic areas and the roof areas of the two main blocks and siding in the back of the three blocks. The cause is currently being investigated and we are coordinating with the Fire Marshall office. “
Colton Simpson filmed some of the incidents on Friday. He said he was sitting down to dinner when he saw several fire trucks driving on the road and noticed smoke coming from a nearby home.
“I ran outside barefoot, ran down the street, and started taking videos and photos,” Simpson said. “There was a lot of smoke in the beginning, then it suddenly burst into flames.”
Simpson said about 200 neighbors came out of their homes to check on the commotion.
“It was quite wild, you could feel the heat, the adrenaline. It was pretty wild, “Simpson said.
Fire crews returned to the scene on Saturday. In the evening it was reported that the house had started smoking again.
Local investigators are working with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office as they investigate what may have caused the fire.
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