‘Aggressive’ early morning fire destroys homes in Stoney Creek townhouse complex, fire chief says | CBC News
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Hamilton firefighters battled an early morning, multiple-alarm fire at 23 Echovalley Dr. in Stoney Creek, Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe said.
The fire department was called to a townhouse complex in the area after multiple calls came in just after 4 a.m. Monday morning.
“The fire had a really aggressive hold on those units and was driven by a strong wind that was going to the east,” he said. “Firefighters, very quickly, set up an aggressive exterior attack from both the front and the back of the building and were able to cut the fire off but not before it involved six units.”
At one point, the flames climbed 12 metres, about 40 feet, into the air, Cunliffe said. No one was injured, though one firefighter was taken to hospital as a precaution for smoke inhalation, and seven to 10 people were forced out of their homes.
Cunliffe said that five of the six units in the townhouse complex were “significantly damaged” while the other unit has damage to its attic. He expects that firefighters will be there most of the day. Mud Street, from First Road to Paramount Drive, is closed.
The fire department posted on its website that at 4:25 a.m., 17 units had been dispatched to the area.