Retirement residence in Bells Corners hosts ‘thank you’ lunch for firefighters who battled nearby blaze

Residents and staff at the Thorncliffe Place Retirement Home held a thank you lunch for firefighters who put out a raging fire near the residence.

Thorncliffe Place Retirement Residence in Bells Corners hosted a “thank you” lunch for the firefighters of station 43 after a terrible fire nearby earlier this month.

The home is right behind the construction site that caught fire on April 1, and the residents and staff wanted to show their appreciation for keeping them safe.

Some residents witnessed the blaze, and the staff say they want to make sure their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

All the seniors signed a card and presented it to the firefighters, along with some balloons expressing their gratitude.

Thorncliffe Place has 76 residents, and they say they are so grateful for what could’ve been a completely different outcome if the firefighters didn’t have control of the fire.

The building at the corner of Thorncliff Place and Northside Road was destroyed in the blaze, but no one was hurt.

The burning building was a five-storey, 53-unit condo that was under construction that was within metres of the seniors home. Nearby structures were at risk because of the wind.

The firefighters were presented with Thank you cards, balloons and flowers to honour their hard work.

Doreen Pearce a temporary recuperating resident says the first bang was very large and then the other seemed to be smaller but of the same intensity.

“I suddenly was woken up by two big bangs, which were obviously the explosions, so I got out of bed, and I went to go around my bed to open up my drapes. And that’s when I saw the flames. They were so high. Even after the explosion, it must’ve caught fire right away. And the flames were so high, and the embers were going over. It was very scary,” said Doreen Pearce, a temporary recuperating resident. “I think I was glad the wind was going in that direction and not towards us.”

Resident Dorcas Shew has lived in the building for almost two years on the second floor and describes how that morning went. She couldn’t believe what she woke up to.

“I saw the fire and the smoke coming outside my window. And the first thing came to my mind is, oh, somebody playing a practical joke? Because today, April 1st,” said Dorcas Shew. “First thing came to my mind, go and put on my pants just in case there’s anything to run - that I have to make a dash for and then go get a jacket to keep myself warm, and then have the jacket put right by the door.”

This wasn’t a joke. Shew said she went back to the window to watch the action until she received further instruction. She remembered she had her phone and started taking photos of what happened.

Shew said the firefighters were working so hard managing the blaze, pulling the water hose and trying to control the fire. Shew said because of the close proximity of the buildings she was hoping a tragedy wasn’t going to happen.

“I was very thankful all the time. I do believe in God the Almighty. When I was looking at the fire like that, I just pray in my heart. I said, Lord, let the wind roll in the other direction but not our direction. Don’t burn the church, don’t burn us in here,” said Shew.

“I really thank God the Almighty that day and for protecting us safe from it and for all these brave men and women and the firefighters,” said Shew.

Shew says it was enormous work. Her and the other 75 residents and staff are so grateful that they threw a luncheon for the heroes that were on the scene.

The firefighters checked in on the residents, visiting every room to make sure windows weren’t damaged and checked the carbon monoxide.

Fire Captain Eric Portiner says the team was fully involved and did the best they could to protect the buildings around it.

“That’d be the second one in my 26-year-career, that hot. You don’t get them all the time. They’re not that frequent,” said Portiner.

Portiner says even though they were just doing their job, this was unique and very kind of Thorncliffe to hold this luncheon. He says it gave them an opportunity to get into the community and meet the people.

“Not only do we get to meet the residents of Thorncliffe, but we also got to meet, the owner of the church, which we struggled to save, which we fought very hard to save,” said Portiner.

Adriana Olvera, general manager of Thorncliffe Place, says it was the least they could’ve done keeping 76 residents safe. They made a difference in the outcome for everybody in the building.

“It was a real emergency. We’re across the street from where the fire happened, and they worked tirelessly, and they were so brave. They kept our buildings safe. So, they really changed the lives of the residents, staff and family members at Thorncliffe Place,” said Olvera. “Because if it wasn’t for that, then the reality for Thorncliffe Place would have been much different. Perhaps evacuating all our residents. So, my staff and I were very concerned.”

Olvera said the crew from station 43 checked for carbon monoxide and made sure the front windows of Thorncliffe were safe, weren’t hot or about to crack. The residents were able to stay in the rooms, but she says it was very close to home.

The staff and residents can’t thank the team enough.