An early Sunday morning fire has left dozens of people at least temporarily displaced.
Emergency crews responded shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday to the apartment building at 99 McNaughton Ave. W. in Chatham.
Everyone was ordered out of the 120-unit building as fire crews worked to contain the blaze.
Several tenants suffered smoke inhalation and were treated on scene by EMS crews, but there were no other injuries, fire officials said.
The fire remains under investigation.
Of the building’s 120 units, 90 have been impacted by smoke and/or water damage.
Municipal officials said the building is owned by Chatham-Kent. The municipality is working to provide assistance to the residents.
Chatham-Kent spokesman Eric Labadie said no one is being allowed back into the building as of yet.
There are multiple ongoing investigations at the property, and once those are complete, we will have a better understanding of a timeline for re-entry,” he told The Voice.
Labadie said electricity remains turned off to the entire building and it’s not known when that will change.
Housing Services is working to find accommodations for all affected residents. Anyone impacted by the fire can contact the Homelessness Response line at 519-354-6628.
An emergency operations centre has been established to deal with logistics around the event and to ensure accommodations for vulnerable populations are being arranged.
“Our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of those displaced by the fire,” Michael Duben, Chatham-Kent’s CAO, said in a media release. “Our teams have been working diligently to ensure that displaced residents are housed and to ensure that work is expedited to allow residents to return to their units as soon as possible.”
