In over 29 years in the fire service, Steven Goode hasn’t seen anything like this before.
A trio of significant fires in Guelph in the last 24 hours – including one that killed two women – has the deputy fire chief calling on residents to ensure you have a working smoke alarm and an escape plan.
“It’s the worst I’ve seen,” he told GuelphToday.
The latest fires happened at 365 West Acres Dr. Monday night, and 57 Kirkland St. – near Exhibition Park – early Tuesday morning.
At West Acres, a fire call came in just before 7 p.m.
Fire damage could be seen throughout the garage and the second floor.
Goode said the two people home at the time recognized the fire in its early stages, and self-evacuated. Both were not hurt.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a fire truck remains on scene.
The Kirkland Street fire call came in at 12:53 a.m. Tuesday.
Goode said two dogs and a number of cats passed away, while the lone person at the home remains in Hamilton hospital due to burns and smoke inhalation.
“Due to the injuries of that individual, the fire marshal’s office will be attending,” Goode said.
A damage amount and cause for either fire remain under investigation. Goode added both homes had working smoke alarms.
Guelph police spokesperson Scott Tracey said neither fire is being considered suspicious.
They come after a fatal fire at 383 Edinburgh Rd. S. early Monday morning.
The cause, and a damage estimate, remains part of the ongoing investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office.
Two women were killed in that blaze, while two others escaped the home and were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.
It's not known if the home on Edinburgh had working smoke alarms.
Goode said three fires as significant as these, in such a short period of time, is "overwhelming."
“Folks need to be fire safe, and they need to have smoke alarms in place,” he said. “It provides early detection of fire, it could save their lives.
“They (also) need a fire safety plan. Don’t plan at the time of the event, they need to plan prior to the event. Every second counts when folks are dealing with these fires.
"If they don’t have a prepared plan, then they could suffer greatly.”
