The Ontario Fire Marshal is probing a blaze in Sarnia Monday night where two people trapped on the upper floor and one on the roof had had to be rescued, officials say.
Firefighters were called shortly after 8 p.m. to the 100 block of Mitton Street North. Shortly after arriving they noticed three residents couldn’t escape due to fire being in the building’s only stairwell, so they used a ladder to rescue them, officials said.
The three residents weren’t injured, but the cause of the fire is being investigated by the Ontario Fire Marshal, official said.
“I’m very proud of the men and women of Sarnia fire for their hard work rescuing three trapped residents and ensuring no fatalities,” Chief Jeff Weber said in a statement issued Tuesday. “Fire crews used effective teamwork to simultaneously rescue the occupants and extinguish the fire in the building’s only exit preventing further property loss.”
Fifteen firefighters from three stations were called to the scene along with Lambton paramedics and Sarnia police, they said.
Sarnia police posted on social media around 9:15 p.m. Mitton Street North was closed between Essex and Bright streets. In an update shortly after 2 a.m., police said the roads were reopened.
Two people and their pet also managed to escape uninjured last week as a $250,000 fire ripped through a home on Christina Street North.
The Ontario Fire Marshal has investigated at least four fires in Sarnia-Lambton over the past year. They include fatal fires on London Line in Plympton-Wyoming, on Napier Street in Sarnia and on Afton Drive in Sarnia. A blaze on Blackwell Road also prompted an investigation after three people were hospitalized.