Man critically injured after jumping out window during fire at Oshawa rooming house

CTV Toronto: Man jumps from burning house A man is fighting for his life in hospital after he jumped from the window of a burning home in Oshawa. John Musselman reports.

A man is in hospital with critical injuries after police say he jumped from a burning building in Oshawa early this morning.

The fire broke out at around 2:15 a.m. at a rooming house located on Brock Street West, near Centre Street North and Adelaide Avenue West.

Oshawa Fire Services Acting Fire Chief Derrick Clark said crews arrived at the scene to find flames and smoke visible from the exterior of the east side of the building.

At the time of the fire, four male occupants were inside the home.

Two of the occupants were uninjured and one of the men was taken to hospital with minor smoke inhalation.

A 53-year-old man, according to police, jumped out of a window when the fire broke out. Investigators say in addition to the injuries he sustained in the fall, the man also suffered severe burns while inside the home.

He is currently at a Toronto trauma centre in life-threatening condition.

“Initial reports we are receiving is that Durham Regional Police was on scene first and they assisted the resident with timely response. They assisted with his injuries and partial evacuation of the building, so we’re very grateful for that,” he said.

Fire investigators will be on scene today to determine the cause of the blaze.

“Crews made a rapid entry and a quick attack to get the fire under control quickly,” he said. “The interior of the second floor is damaged heavily and there will be smoke and water damage to the remainder of the building.”

Clark estimated that the building sustained between $100,000 and $200,000 worth of damage.

The Ontario Fire Marshal and Oshawa Fire Service’s fire prevention team will investigate. Clark would not speak to whether there was a working fire alarm installed in the building.

There are some road closures in the area due to the investigation.

It is unclear at this point if the fire is suspicious.

Lacey Watson, a resident in the neighbourhood, said she woke up to see “complete chaos” outside.

“We woke up to the firefighters and police all around,” she said. “I was shocked.”

She said the rooming house was known to be “a bit rough” but that the neighbourhood is generally “pretty quiet.”

“It’s very sad. I wouldn’t want that to happen to anybody,” she said. “Never has anything like this happened around here.”