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Kingston Fire and Rescue responds to blaze at Weller Avenue apartment building

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Kingston Fire and Rescue responds to blaze at Weller Avenue apartment building
Fire crews got the call just after 4 a.m. Tuesday. Witnesses say smoke can be seen billowing from a low rise multiplex. – Jan 7, 2020

Editor’s note: At one point, this story stated that the fire was being treated as suspicious, but at this time, this is still unclear. Kingston Fire and Rescue are investigating the cause of the fire. Kingston police were stationed at the building to hold the scene until the Fire Marshall arrived to investigate.

Kingston Fire and Rescue crews battled a blaze at a multiplex in the city’s north end on Tuesday morning.

“Right now they are pulling down the brick on the [west wall] exterior to get into the hot spots,” says acting Capt. Douglas McEwen with Kingston Fire.
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Officials say crews were called to 266 Weller Avenue just after 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.

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“It was a stubborn fire,” McEwen said, “we had to do some extensive overhaul, to get into the hot spots.

McEwen said it was also “quite hot in the basement.”

The stubborn smoky blaze then spread to the upper floor of the six-unit building. In the end, the fire caused about $350,000 in damages.

Extra fire units had to be called in, a total of 25 firefighters battled the flames Tuesday morning.

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“Four additional pumps, a ladder [truck] and platoon chief,” says McEwen. “We had additional support units arrive on the scene too.”

It is unclear how many residents were evacuated, but fire officials say no one was injured.

“The basement unit did look like it was inhabited, so does the first floor, the upper looked to be vacant, but I can’t confirm that,” McEwen told Global News.

Weller Avenue was closed off near Trillium Court as crews worked to knock down the fire, but one lane was opened to traffic around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The cause of the fire is still unknown but the Fire Marshall is currently investigating. It’s also unclear just how many people were living in the building.

With files from Neil McArtney

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