Deadly blaze at Hamilton Mountain apartment kills one man, sends woman to hospital

A man is dead and a woman is in hospital following a fire in an apartment on east Hamilton Mountain early Thursday morning.

The Hamilton Fire Department responded shortly before 5 a.m. to De Laurentian Apartments located at 1266 Fennell Ave. East, near Mountain Brow Boulevard.

“As crews were arriving, they reported heavy fire visible from the outside on the fourth floor,” says Hamilton Fire Chief Dave Cunliffe. “Very quickly, they also learned that there may be people inside of the fourth floor apartment.”

Firefighters found a woman in the living room. Paramedics rushed her to hospital in critical condition, but she is now stable.

A man was then found in a bedroom, where crews say the fire started. Sadly, he died of his injuries.

Paramedic Commander Dave Thompson says the man and woman are in their 80s.

A cat also died in the fire.

“I thought the whole floor was going to catch on fire. I was scared. I know they are only things, things are replaceable. There was me I was worried about. Get out. I didn’t even take my purse,” said Kristina Knafelc, who lives in the building.

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Cunliffe says the blaze was brought under control and contained to the unit.

“The apartment has sustained extensive fire and smoke damage,” he says. “Current damage estimates are estimated to be $150,000 range.”

Dustyn Ciuffreda, the building’s superintendent, says the flames broke the windows and there were reports of glass flying around.

“Fire alarms started going off, then two minutes later (Hamilton) Fire show up,” Ciuffreda says. “Came to hear that one unit on the fourth floor was engulfed in flames, black smoke covering the halls of the units. The tenants actually couldn’t even get out and they were stuck on the balcony.”

Cunliffe says the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Hamilton police are holding the scene and the Office of the Fire Marshal has been notified to assist with the investigation.

Detectives have closed down a stretch of Fennell Avenue as crews remain at the scene.

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