Resident escapes attic fire in St. Thomas

The home on Malakoff Street is surrounded by trees, which made it difficult for the firefighters to attack the blaze.

On a hot, hazy night, the smoke from a St. Thomas house fire could be smelled across the city.

Around 9:30 p.m. Friday, the attic of a home on Malakoff Street caught fire.

“We got multiple 911 calls for a fire at the house,” said Kim Destun, chief fire prevention officer with St Thomas Fire Department (STFD). “All the occupants were able to escape quickly and there were no animals involved.”

The home is surrounded by trees, which made it difficult for the firefighters to attack the persistent blaze.

“A lot of access issues with the trees around it,” said Destun. “It’s been a tough one. It’s up in the attic, so firefighters really had to struggle to get it out. Hydro had to come in, and it’s a fairly narrow street and we were blocking off most of the space.”

One of the two occupants of the house was home at the time of the fire, and got out right away. Police, EMS and Victim Services were on hand to help the STFD.

When firefighters arrived, the smoke was coming through the attic area, and the entire area was under a cloud of haze.

“It was very smoky and because of the wind … it was all down at street level for some reason,” said Destun. “It’s hot tonight and the firefighters really struggled with the heat. It’s been a tough go for them.”

With Station #1 being only three minutes away, and multiple calls for assistance they were able to get it knocked down quickly.

The cause is still being determined, but it is not considered suspicious.