Kingston Fire and Rescue responded to a vacant building fire in the 20 Block of Bath Road after the fire was reported at 10:20 pm Dec. 8.
Dorothy Quiring watched firefighters battle the blaze from her seventh-floor apartment balcony.
“I looked out the window and I saw the flames, It’s ironic how long it lasted,” said Quiring. “You figured they had it under control — no, it came right back out again.”
Quiring estimates fire crews didn’t extinguish all the flames until close to 5 a.m. the morning of Dec. 9.
Ted Posadowski, Kingston Fire and Rescues’ chief fire prevention officer, says they responded with two dozen firefighters and six trucks.
Posadowski says the heat, flames and not knowing what was in the building forced firefighters to engage in defensive tactics.
“They couldn’t safely enter the building. The building was fully involved. There was heavy heat, lots of flames, lots of smoke,” Posadowski told Global Kingston.
Fire crews have remained on scene throughout the day and spent most of the morning dealing with hot spots to prevent any potential flare up of the fire again.
Kingston Fire and Rescue has contacted the Ontario Fire Marshal, although Posadowski says it’s not clear if they will be involved in the investigation.
Posadowski says the investigation is ongoing.
The cause of the fire and the dollar value of the damage to the building is still being assessed.