Two people have been displaced following a fire at an apartment complex on Little Avenue, Wednesday afternoon.
Crews were called to the building, located across from Allandale Recreation Centre in the city’s south end, around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 27, Barrie Fire and Emergency Service (BFES) Deputy Chief Eric MacFadden told BarrieToday.
Four trucks and a platoon chief responded to the call, he said, adding crews arrived to find a fire on the second floor.
“The fire originated in the kitchen area and crews made an attack on the fire and were able to contain all the damage to the fire unit,” MacFadden said.
Crews initially obtained entry to the apartment by using a ladder to the balcony, he said.
“It’s an efficient and effective way to address a fire if conditions permit it. The first crew, that’s the quick attack — up and over the balcony — while the second crew is making their way to the second-floor hallway,” MacFadden said.
“It’s one of the tactics we use depending on the situation if the right factors permit it, so they did do a quick attack that way … that was the quickest way to the apartment, get water on the fire and try to keep everybody safe," the deputy chief added.
No damage estimate was available and the cause has yet to be determined, MacFadden said.
“There were no injuries by us or any civilians,” said MacFadden, adding crews did locate a cat in the unit and reunited it with its owners.
The building was evacuated at the time of the call, he said, however all of the residents, except for the occupants of the unit where the fire occurred, were later able to return to their homes.
“They were displaced and were provided other options for a place to stay,” MacFadden added.
MacFadden noted although there was a “little bit of smoke migration” to other parts of the building, crews do their best to ventilate a building and clear it out prior to turning a building back over to the residents.
“That’s part of the way they attacked the fire ... to keep a lot of those contaminants to the original fire unit. You would have had a little bit of smoke spread and smoke migration based on that travel, but it was very minor because the doors were closed on that third floor,” he said.
“Before we turn a building over, we make sure it’s clear of smoke and do air-quality readings to make sure it’s safe.”
