One person has been taken to hospital following a fire Saturday at an apartment building on William Street in London’s Old North neighbourhood.
The fire broke out around 3:45 p.m. in a unit on the second floor of the six-storey, 70-unit high-rise at 872 William St.
It’s the second fire in as many days at the London & Middlesex Community Housing-owned building. London fire crews responded to a separate blaze on Thursday involving a unit on the third floor.
“Crews did an aggressive interior attack and were able to knock it down right away,” said Platoon Chief Kirk Loveland at the scene.
“Inside the suite, they located one victim which they extricated from the fire and brought down to (the) lobby and… transported to hospital.” The person’s condition was not immediately available.
Other residents were advised to shelter in place instead of trying to exit the building through smoke. Residents who did evacuate have since been allowed to return to their apartments.
A damage cost estimate was not immediately known, but Loveland said there was heavy smoke damage in the unit and throughout the building. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“Make sure you have a working smoke detector — that is always the first defence against fire,” Loveland said.
— With files from Matthew Trevithick