Officials share new details into Hamilton house fire that sent family of 15 to hospital

Crews on the scene of a house fire in Hamilton on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.

Investigators have released new details about a house fire in Hamilton that sent a family of 15 to the hospital on Friday evening, including a two-year-old boy who remains in life-threatening condition.

The fire broke out at a home on Garden Crescent just after 6 p.m.

Crews from the Hamilton Fire Department (HFD) arrived and saw heavy smoke coming from the garage and front door.

HFD said several occupants who were able to evacuate told firefighters that a child could still be inside.

“Firefighters immediately entered the home to initiate combined search and rescue and firefighting operations. Upon entry, they immediately encountered heavy smoke and extreme heat conditions,” HFD said in a news release.

It added that another crew laddered the back of the home and entered the main floor through a window.

“Almost immediately after entering the house, this crew located the child, who was then handed off to a firefighter on the ladder, who removed the child to the ground,” HFD said.

According to Clive Hubbard, an investigator with Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM), the child, a two-year-old boy, was found without vital signs in the back bedroom on the second floor.

Hubbard noted that the child was the only member of the family who was not able to get out.

Life-saving measures were performed on the child, and crews were able to get a pulse back.

The child, who was initially reported to be five years old, was rushed to a Hamilton hospital before he was transferred to London. Hubbard said the boy remains in life-threatening but stable condition.

The boy’s parents and his 12 siblings were also taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. All 14 have been released from the hospital, Hubbard said.

HFD added that one of its firefighters suffered minor injuries.

According to HFD, the house suffered significant fire damage which is estimated to be between $450,000 and $500,000.

The OFM is at the scene to assist with the investigation into the cause of the fire, which is believed to have originated in the basement.

Hubbard said they have not found anything to suggest that the fire was suspicious.

He added that he is hoping to finish the examination on Saturday so the house can be released back to the family.

With files from CP24's Beatrice Vaisman