Three critically injured in east London blaze, building owner previously facing Fire Code violations

Charges for fire code violations are before the courts after a fire tore through a Dundas Street building. CTV London’s Daryl Newcombe reports.

Several residents are fighting for their lives after a fire tore through a residential building at 745 Dundas St. in London, Ont.

The London Fire Department (LFD) responded just after 10 a.m. to reports of thick black smoke billowing from the second-floor windows of the building at the southeast corner of Hewitt and Dundas streets in the Old East Village (OEV).

A woman named Jax was sitting across the street when she noticed smoke, “I see a little bit of smoke, and next thing I know, a guy is jumping out the window and then this great big cloud of smoke came out.”

• IN PHOTOS: OEV apartment fire

The intensity of the fire prevented Lisa Fay from getting closer to the building where her friend lives, “The smoke was black, but I was standing on the road, and the heat was too much for me. I had to back up.”

Fay’s friend, who she describes as a young mother, was one of the people rescued by firefighters, “I’m pretty worried. [Paramedics] were working on her pretty hard. The officer said she had no pulse when they brought her out.”

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and conducted primary and secondary searches of the building.

LFD Deputy Chief Gary Bridge praised the bravery of first responders, “There were a number of rescues, including three individuals that were taken away by EMS in critical condition.”

Daniel Boudreau has lived in a basement apartment in the building for 18 years, “I woke up to smoke. The smoke detector was going off, and my apartment was filled with smoke.”

After escaping, he watched emergency crews from the curb across the street.

Boudreau tells CTV News that he didn’t know the people living on the second floor, “For about the last year, since a building had a new owner, people left and it’s been squatters, street people.”

He was in the process of moving because tenants had been given until the end of this month to leave.

Deputy Chief Bridge says violations of the Ontario Fire Code had previously been discovered at the building, “London Fire Department has worked closely with the owner of this building, and I can confirm that there has been a number of fire code violations that have been noted. Charges are before the courts at this time.”

The Ontario Fire Marshal will be responding to the scene to determine the cause of the fire.

“The investigation is going to become a police investigation just due to the nature of the injuries,” explained Sgt. Sandasha Bough of the London Police Service.

Dundas Street has reopened in both directions to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Police do remain on scene as part of the investigation.