1 person charged after suspicious fire at London community housing apartment

One person has been charged while several other people wait to return to their homes following a Monday morning fire at a community housing complex that police are calling suspicious.

Just before 9 a.m., crews were called to an apartment fire at 349 Wharncliffe Rd. N., where they encountered heavy smoke and fire coming from a third-floor unit, platoon chief Gary Mosburger said. 

Fire crews were able to contain the fire to the one unit in less than 10 minutes, he said, but there was damage to others. 

"The fire consumed the main apartment unit, and then smoke migration throughout the rest of the building occurred as well," Mosburger said. "HVAC piping as well as general water lines that are coming in to provide water to your sinks can get hot enough that it will melt or break. With that, comes the need to shut off the water."

One person has been charged in relation to the fire, police said, but they would not reveal the nature of the charge.

Residents told CBC News they saw thick smoke, flames and shattered glass coming from the third floor.

"It was thick black smoke. It smelled very chemically, like burnt rubber almost," said eighth-floor resident Mackenzie Lavalliere, who had been outside with her dogs since the fire broke out. "Everything's charred on the balcony and the whole window blew off."

The eight-floor high-rise building, located just off Western Road, has 145 units and is owned by London Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH). 

"I woke up, looked out the balcony and saw thick black smoke with some dude on the [third floor] balcony," said Cheryl Ann Linekar, who was staying over at the apartment building the night before. 

"As time went on, it got hotter and glass was exploding literally all over the place. At one point, he was ducking down and the fireman had to put the ladder up to rescue him," she said. 

Fire crews rescued one person who was living in the unit where the fire started, Mosburger said, and that person is being treated for smoke inhalation.

About 50 people were told to exit the building this morning, though many have now returned to their units. Mosburger said it is unclear how many people will not be able to return to the apartment tonight. 

"It's really situational, due to the fact that the smoke was coming out of the west side of the building so if people had windows open or smoke was being sucked in by HVAC units, it obviously affected their units," Mosburger said. "It was a little bit all over the place." 

Red Cross, London police and LMCH will help people find temporary accommodations if necessary, Mosburger said. 

"We are working with emergency services and supporting tenants affected by the incident. The safety and well-being of our tenants is our top priority," LMCH spokesperson Matt Senechal said in a statement.

Linekar was staying two floors up from the fire and said that while she is allowed to return to the unit, she plans to stay outdoors until more smoke clears.

"It smells so bad. You can smell it out here, but it's way worse in there," she said.

Crews are continuing to monitor air quality, Mosburger said.

Fires common at apartment building, residents say

Mosburger would not comment on the cause of Monday's fire, but said that it is believed to be suspicious. Fire prevention investigators and London police will continue investigating.

Damage is estimated at over $200,000, Mosburger said. 

Some building residents and neighbours say fires are a common sight at the community housing apartment.

"When I moved in here in April of 2024, there was a fire alarm every other day or every other week, so we just got used to it," said Lavalliere, adding that she always checks the London fire scanner before leaving the building to ensure it's not a false alarm.

Linekar, who visits the apartment building often, said she has seen fires four separate times. 

"I don't even know what or how I feel. It's just stressful," she said.