Dog dies, man hospitalized for smoke inhalation in south London fire

An afternoon fire at a two-storey residence in south London on Tuesday has left a dog dead and one man taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 497 Ferndale Ct., south of Ferndale Avenue, just after 2:30 p.m.

Details about the fire remain limited, but crews were met with visible flames and smoke coming from the building’s second floor.

Crews managed to douse the fire in about 10 minutes but later had to tend to a small fire in one of the building’s soffits. The fire is now fully under control.

“The fire was contained by the time we got here, so it was just a little bit of smoke coming out,” said Rob Rhyno, the building’s landlord. “The street was lined with five fire trucks, an ambulance, a couple of police cruisers.”

Rhyno said the building’s tenant was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after he went into the building to try and save Kahlua, a 13-year-old Labrador.

“She lived a good life… Friendly old dog. Things happen. Dogs get scared in fires and they hide, it’s unfortunate,” Rhyno said, adding it was lucky the tenant’s kids were at school when the fire started.

The fire inspector has been called to the scene and the cause remains under investigation.

The extent of the damage and a damage estimate is not yet known.

— AM980’s Liny Lamberink contributed reporting.