Police, Fire and Ambulance crews responded to a fire call at 1 Slessor Blvd in the Town of Grimsby at 11:29 PM after several tenants called 9-1-1 to report a fire in the building. This apartment building has 8 floors and a total of 96 apartments, most of which were occupied.
Several members of the Niagara Regional Police were in downtown Grimsby less than a kilometer away when the call came in. Police say they arrived at the fire scene within a minute of the first call to 9-1-1 to find tenants streaming from the exits. They learned that the fire was on the 7th floor and were advised by the superintendent that there were several elderly tenants on the upper floors of the building who would require assistance getting out of the building. The officers climbed the stairs to the 7th floor and assisted other tenants in evacuating the less mobile tenants.
The fire was quickly brought under control thanks to the efforts of the Grimsby Fire Department. Most of the damage was contained within an unoccupied apartment on the 7th floor, but extensive smoke and water damage caused about $250,000 damage on the upper three floors of the building.
There were no injuries reported by either tenants or first responders. The apartment where the fire started was unoccupied at the time.
The St. Catharines Transit Commission immediately dispatched two buses to the scene to give tenants a place to sit and warm up, and the nearby McDonalds Restaurant opened their doors as well. There were numerous other acts of kindness, including tenants in a nearby apartment building at 3 Slessor Blvd who opened their doors to neighbors for the night.
The Red Cross also attended to assist with re-locating displaced tenants, and provided blankets and care to those tenants who were unable to return to their apartments.
