‘Unattended cooking’ fire causes $250K in damages to Hamilton townhome

A two-storey townhome in Hamilton has sustained roughly $250,000 in damages following a fire Tuesday night.

Firefighters were called to a structure fire at a unit at 11 Harrisford St. shortly before 6 p.m.

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the second floor of an attached townhouse unit.

A resident who was inside the unit when the fire broke out managed to get out of the home safely after being alerted by the smoke detectors. Fire officials say he did not suffer any injuries.

Firefighters performed an aggressive search and rescue inside the building while additional crews checked the adjoining units.

“Due to the intense conditions and multiple attached units, the alarm was upgraded to a multiple alarm to bring additional resources from across the city,” said Shawn De Jager, Assistant Deputy Fire Chief.

The fire was quickly brought under control.

De Jager says the blaze did not extend to the neighbouring units.

Fire officials have determined the cause of the fire to be unattended cooking.

Our crews are working at a multiple alarm structure fire at 11 Harrisford St Fire has been knocked down and crews are working on ventilation. Our crews will be in scene for some time. pic.twitter.com/jJyPVQqEnA

— Hamilton Fire Department (@HamiltonFireDep) October 26, 2021