A tenant has lost everything following an apartment fire in Cobourg on Saturday, August 21, 2021
.Cobourg Fire Department received the call of smoke coming from a basement apartment at 45 Spencer Street East at 6:20 p.m.
When crews arrived there was light smoke coming from a open window in the apartment, but there was indications by the soot on the windows and blinds that there was a large amount of heat in the apartment.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went into the apartment and extinguished the fire.
The lone occupant of the apartment told Today’s Northumberland that he left shortly before 3 p.m. to attend work nearby and found out about the fire when a person called.
Acting Captain Sorab Bulsara said the fire was confined to the bedroom, but there was “significant” smoke damage throughout the apartment.
When tenants of a apartment call 9-1-1 to report a fire, they should always try to remember to pull the fire alarm in the building to alert other tenants of the danger.
Bulsara said it’s important enough to call 9-1-1, it’s just as important to pull the fire alarm to the building.
“9-1-1 was called, but no one from the building pulled the (fire) alarm. These apartment buildings all have pull stations
The apartment was full of people, even though the one apartment was on fire.”
Bulsara said Cobourg Police arrived on scene quickly and pulled the alarm for the building and went door-to-door alerting tenants of the emergency.
In other buildings throughout town, the fire alarm system alerts tenants of the emergency, but it doesn’t notify emergency services.
“So it’s always a good practice if you see a fire to call 9-1-1 and just like if it was your house, you’d want all your family members out. So if it’s an apartment building, you want all your neighbours out as well.”
The fire was contained to the basement unit of the apartment building with residents being allowed back into their units at approximately 9 p.m.
The exact cause of the fire isn’t known, but it is not suspicious.
Damage is estimated at approximately $30,000.
The tenant did not have content insurance.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
