Bay St. apartment fire sends woman to hospital

A Hamilton woman remains in hospital after a fire Friday night, in her downtown Hamilton apartment.

Officials are calling the blaze suspicious.

Hamilton’s forensic unit and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office were busy sifting through debris inside a blackened fourth floor apartment this morning.

No word yet on what sparked the fire, but the investigation is now in the hands of police.

Investigators were seen examining the balcony for more evidence. While the fire was contained to one unit, damages are estimated at $100,000.

“One of the apartments on the fourth floor has quite a bit of damage to it. There is a lot of smoke on the first floor and smoke migrated to the upper floors as well,” says Greg Olson on the Fire Marshal’s Office.

When firefighters were called to the 14 floor apartment building on the corner of Jackson Street and Bay Street South, they were met with thick smoke.

Three people were treated for smoke inhalation, and one woman who was pulled out of her fourth-floor apartment, remains in hospital.

Residents say they knew this was no ordinary fire when they heard screams from the building’s superintendent to get out.

“We grabbed everything quite quick, put away my dinner and brought the dog downstairs and exited. When I got downstairs everything was so loud. I was disoriented because of the smoke and had to figure out where I was.”

The Fire Marshal’s Office wrapped up their investigation of the scene this afternoon.

“There were exhibits taken that the police have now taken control of. They will submit it to the lab, and between them and myself, we’re still investigating,” says Olson.