Three people were rescued from the roof of a three-storey apartment building amid an early morning multiple-alarm blaze in Hamilton’s east end, according to firefighers.
Hamilton fire chief Dave Cunliffe says occupants of a third-floor apartment were on the roof of a building on Balmoral Avenue North near Cannon Street when firefighters arrived to flames and heavy smoke around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.
“Firefighters immediately put up a ladder and helped the three occupants get safely of the roof to the ground,” Cunliffe explained.
“Additional firefighters made their way into the building to perform search and rescue and firefighting operations.”
Occupants on the first-floor self-evacuated while a second-floor apartment was unoccupied, Cunliffe revealed.
He said two of those rescued from the first-floor were transported to hospital by Hamilton Paramedics for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters doused the flames in about 25 minutes and believe the fire originated in a first floor bedroom, potentially through the “careless use of smokers materials.”
Cunliffe characterized damage to the building as “significant” and estimates the destruction is in the range of $1 million.
An investigation is ongoing.