Aleesha Baxter woke up in her three-year-old daughter’s bedroom early Monday morning to the sound of loud bangs.

“I thought it was a part of my dream. I woke up and I looked around … Then I heard it again — it sounded like something exploded,” Baxter, who lives in one of 22 units in a townhouse complex in Upper Stoney Creek, told CBC Hamilton.

Baxter peaked through her blinds, and could only see orange and red flames and black smoke outside her window.

Baxter and her family were among the seven to 10 people who were displaced by the fire Monday at the 23 Echovalley Dr. complex.

Firefighters arrived at the scene just after 4 a.m. ET to what fire Chief Dave Cunliffe called an “aggressive” fire “driven by a strong wind that was going to the east.”

At one point, the flames shot 12 metres into the air and nearly 50 firefighters were involved.

Cunliffe said Monday that five of the six townhouse units affected by the fire were “significantly damaged” — some had collapsed walls and roofs, and one unit’s attic was damaged.

Baxter, an assistant professor at Anderson College, had been living in the rental unit for just over two years.

Baxter acted quickly once she realized there was a fire.

“I run to my daughter’s room. I grab her, grab my phone, start dialling 911, running down the stairs.”

Once she, her daughter and partner were out of the house, Baxter noticed that not many neighbours were outside, so she got into her car and honked her horn while driving around. Another neighbour went door to door to ring doorbells as a way to wake up any sleeping people inside and alert them to the fire.

Their efforts helped get everyone out of the complex. 

“There was a lot of community effort,” Baxter said.

“It was really scary and full of panic. But it’s good to see that in that moment, our community can come together to help each other.”

There were no injuries, Cunliffe said Monday, but a firefighter with smoke inhalation was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Fire served as a ‘valuable lesson’

The neighbourhood where the townhouse complex is located is usually quiet, Baxter said, adding people are cordial but mostly kept to themselves.

The fire, however, changed things.

“It took a whole fire for us to get to know each other, and actually share each other’s names and things like that,” said Baxter. “It definitely did bring us closer as a community.”

She said they received a “valuable lesson” on the importance of being aware of and getting to know the people around them.

The fire also reinforced the importance of preparation, Baxter said. 

She already had her important documents in one place and was able to get them out quickly, but said some of her neighbours had to run back into their homes to get their valuables.

Baxter said she hopes others can learn from her experience and make sure to prepare ahead of time, because “you just never know when things will happen.”

“It doesn’t take much to go to Canadian Tire, go to Amazon or your local store and just make sure you have things in case of an emergency,” she said.

“If you have neighbours, [make sure] you have their name, you have their contact information, and just always be prepared for the worst.”

Hopes of salvaging belongings

Damages in total, including to vehicles, have been estimated at $6 million to $7 million, according to Cunliffe.

Baxter was told everything inside the unit she was living in was destroyed. Now staying at her grandmother’s house, she’s dealing with paperwork and insurance calls. 

She said she returns to the townhouse “almost every day” in hopes she’ll be allowed back in to collect anything salvageable.

“I don’t know if it’s a mental thing or … I think it’s like a sentimental attachment that I have, because you know, it’s your personal items, right?

“I’m definitely having mixed feelings,” she said. “Sometimes I’m just like, ‘I thank God that we’re here.’

“But then a part of me is also like, [losing] my stuff, it’s really frustrating.”

Jim Demetriou, a spokesperson with Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal, which has taken over the investigation due to the scale of the fire, said Thursday that it’s ongoing and there was no further information to share.