Tenant douses minor fire on Main East

A dozen tenants of a Main Street East apartment building got an early morning wake up call Tuesday when a small fire was detected in the lobby of the complex.

North Bay Fire Department crews were dispatched to the 295 Main Street East address at 5:37am.

Fire Prevention Officer Joe Gardiner says a tenant woke up to the smoke alarms in the lobby going off.

“The gentleman saw smoke and a box glowing in the lobby area,” he explains.

“He then ran to the laundry room, filled a bucket with water, and doused the fire.”

Gardiner says the gentleman, who put out the fire, was quite shaken up after the ordeal and was treated on the scene for minor smoke inhalation, but appeared to have no further injuries.

He added that there is a small about of damage and that the fire was contained to several cardboard boxes and a recycle box.

“The fire appears to have been set and the North Bay Police are now conducting an investigation,” he states.

With the city following the Fire Marshal’s Office zero tolerance policy, Gardiner issued a warning to the building owner for leaving combustible materials around.

“If the boxes weren’t left there, there wouldn’t have been an incident.”

Gardiner stated that if the owner doesn’t comply, no second chances will not be extended and charges will follow.



Photo provided