'Breaks my heart': Hamilton blaze that killed 4 was 'preventable,' says Ontario fire marshal

A deadly Hamilton house fire that left two adults and two children dead last week could likely have been prevented if the home had working smoke alarms, Ontario's fire marshal said Tuesday as he urged people to take fire safety at home seriously.

“We don't need to be losing families. We certainly don't need to be losing able-bodied children who just made it through Christmas, looking forward to New Year’s,” Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg said at a news conference Tuesday. “It literally breaks my heart. So I need everybody to inspect their own smoke alarm.”

Pegg said the investigation so far has confirmed there were no working smoke detectors in the home when the three-alarm blaze broke out around 11 p.m. on Dec. 29 at 14 Derby Street.

He said investigators have also been able to determine the fire started at an upholstered couch on the ground floor and that because of the layout of the home, the adults and children who lived upstairs were quickly trapped.

“The area of origin was determined to be an upholstered sofa within the living room on the ground floor,” Pegg said. “All of the occupants were on the second floor at the time of the fire and due to the location of the fire and the configuration of the residence, the fire blocked their ability to descend through the stairwell.”

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames at the front and back of the home and there were reports of people trapped on the upper floors.

Four people were pulled from the second floor of the home and rushed to hospital, but did not survive. Two others were transported to hospital with critical injuries.

Paramedics previously said that a 40-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were among the dead. Officials did not provide any further details about the age of the children involved or their relationship to the adults Tuesday.

Pet rabbits were also found dead inside the home after the blaze was extinguished.

Pegg said it's a misconception that people have minutes to get out of a home after a fire is detected. In reality, he said, it's more like 60 seconds. Still, he said that would've been enough time to make a difference.

“So assuming that (a) smoke alarm went off on the main floor where the fire was, I believe there's a very good chance that family could have escaped down that stairwell,” Pegg said.

Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe also spoke with reporters and said that the owner of the home could now face charges.

“Our Fire Prevention Division is now in the process of working with the investigative team to look at the evidence as well as the city's legal team and we're looking to pursue charges against the owner relevant to failure to having a working smoke alarm,” Cunliffe said.

He too called the fire “preventable.”

Investigators have not yet determined exactly what caused the fire, but Pegg said the most common causes of house fire in Ontario are smoking and cooking.

2022 WAS DEADLIEST YEAR FOR FIRE DEATHS IN ONTARIO IN DECADES

He said deadly fires have been on the rise in the province, culminating last year in the deadliest year for fire-related deaths in more than two decades.

“In 2022, we had 133 fire-related deaths, including tragic loss of young children and families in several communities across our province,” Pegg said. “That is the highest total in more than 20 years in Ontario.”

Pegg said that while fires will occur, fire deaths “are absolutely preventable” with working smoke detectors first and foremost, but also an escape plan.

“The second critical component to surviving a house fire is a well thought-out and practiced home escape plan,” he said. “This plan kicks in when the smoke alarm sounds. The time to plan a way out is not when your house is filled with smoke. Talk about your plan with your family and loved ones often, quiz your kids on scenarios. It absolutely can be what will save their lives.”

He said modern building materials have made house fires more hazardous in recent years, as homes tend to be filled with plastics which produce hazardous black smoke very quickly.

Cunliffe said that he’s also “absolutely concerned” about the rise in fires and said Hamilton has seen a similar uptick.

“So in Hamilton over the last two years, our fire statistics are up significantly,” he said. “Last year 247 structure fires we had in the city and quite frankly similar to the province, we're seeing unattended cooking and careless disposal of smokers’ materials as the top causes.”

Following the deadly blaze last week, Cunliffe said, firefighters carried out a blitz in the area and replaced 19 smoke alarms, two carbon monoxide alarms and one battery. They also educated 41 residents within the complex about proper fire safety.

“We need people to understand that it only takes a few minutes for a fire to start and then a tragedy to take place and the fact is, as the fire marshal has clearly said, working smoke alarms will and can save lives,” Cunliffe said. “We need to make sure that people take this seriously.”