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WINDSOR, N.S. — Windsor firefighters are reminding residents to always properly dispose of cigarettes or other smoking material following an early morning fire call.
The Windsor Fire Department was alerted to a fire at an apartment complex on Wiley Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. Oct. 13.
Windsor Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Juteau said when they were paged, they were told the fire had been extinguished.
“We always treat it as an ongoing fire until we get on scene and check it,” said Juteau. “On arrival, we had fire in the wall in one of the apartment buildings. Our crews tore the wall out and ran a line, went down and checked the inside with a thermal imaging camera.”
The fire was contained to the exterior wall of one apartment and did not result in injuries.
Juteau said if the fire in the wall had gone undetected, the situation would have been much worse.
“Another five minutes and this would have been a totally different discussion,” said Juteau.
As this week is fire prevention week, Juteau said it’s extremely important for homeowners and tenants to take the appropriate measures to stay safe.
“The big thing is be very careful when you discard smoking materials because that appears to have been the cause of this one,” he said.
“If you’re going to be doing that, they should be disposed of in proper receptacles otherwise it can lead to some problems.”
The firefighters were on scene for about an hour.
To learn more about Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 8-14), download a colouring sheet, and plan an escape route should disaster strike, visit: http://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Campaigns/Fire-Prevention-Week.
Upcoming fire prevention events
While firefighters throughout the county have been busy visiting schoolchildren and seniors to discuss fire safety this week, some are also prepping for open houses.
The Windsor Fire Department will hold an open house from 2-4 p.m., followed by a parade of apparatus throughout the Town of Windsor. The parade starts at 5 p.m.
The Brooklyn Fire Department will be hosting its annual fire prevention open house on Oct. 14 from 1-4 p.m. at Station 1. They have two parades planned. The first is Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. and will encompass the Station 1 catchment area; the second will be Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. and will feature Station 2’s catchment area.
