TORONTO -- Fire crews are battling a massive fire that has spread to at least 11 units in a townhouse complex in Hamilton's Stoney Creek neighbourhood.
Hamilton Fire says at 2:40 a.m. crews responded to a multiple alarm blaze at a townhouse complex near Fifty Road and the QEW.
Chief Dave Cunliffe said the fire started at one unit and spread over to the next set of homes heavily damaging 11 homes in total.
“We still have a very deep seated fire with the structural collapse,” Cunliffe told CP24. “We got fire in a lot of these buildings, especially the middle block where we got the eight units so we’ve still got aerial operations going.”
Cunliffe said the three-storey homes are in sets of 8 and the fire spread through one complex first and then hit three more homes in another complex.
Heavy winds are a big factor for why the fire spread so quickly, Cunliffe said.
“We had heavy winds from the South. Crews did a tremendous job cutting this fire off. We have two aerials in operation at this location. They went to the north and quickly cut it off from getting into the next block of eight.”
Wes Warren said he was asleep when his girlfriend came into the room “in a panic.”
"We looked in the backyard and it (FIRE) was about three units from our house. We grabbed are pets and got out of here. I was panicking, I was just trying to get my family out and get to safety."
"As soon as the wind came it took the whole roof and took everything - it’s a total write off"
Leo Azako, 71, said that he, his wife and his sister-in-law “lost everything.”
“My life, my albums, my memories"
No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is unknown but officials say the damage is estimated to be in the millions.
The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office has been notified.
Crews continue to battle the blaze from the outside and are expected to be on scene for the majority of the day.
