No one was injured in a structure fire that sent all stations to an apartment complex on McKeown Avenue at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Greg Saunders, deputy fire chief says upon arrival there was smoke and flames visible from a balcony on the second floor of the building.
"The fire alarm system was activated, and residents were in the process of evacuating the building," said Saunders in a release on Monday.
"Firefighters from station 2 entered the building and entered the unit that was on fire and they were able to quickly extinguish the fire which was on the balcony."
No one was injured but Saunders says there was significant damage caused by the fire with no damage estimate given.
A member of the Fire Prevention team investigated and determined the cause to be careless disposal of smoking materials.
Iy's the second time in two weeks a fire has been blamed on smoking.
See: Fire caused by careless discarding of smoking materials
The tenant of the unit is being charged with intentionally disabling the hardwired smoke alarm in the unit. This charge carries a fine of $360..
North Bay Fire reminds the community that careless smoking is a leading cause of structure fires and fire fatalities in Ontario.
If you are going to smoke please be careful and follow the rules below to help reduce the risk of fire.
- Smoke outside and away from combustible materials
- Extinguish smoking materials fully and soak in water prior to disposal
- Be extra cautious smoking while drinking alcohol or taking medication
- Never empty the contents of an ashtray into a garbage bin without ensuring everything is properly extinguished
- Never smoke in bed
- Keep lighters and matches out of children’s reach
Greg Saunders
Deputy Chief
