Faulty fridge wiring led to condo fatality: police

A fire that killed a woman in a St. John's condominium this weekend started with a faulty refrigerator, investigators said Monday.

The fire broke out near midnight Friday, amid blizzard-like conditions, at the Tiffany condominium complex in the east end of St. John's. Barbara Hopkins, 70, died in the fire.

Const. Paul Davis said major crimes and fire investigators with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary believe the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the refrigerator in her unit.

The fire posed several problems for crews that responded to it. Firefighters had to break into units to alert hard-of-hearing residents who had not noticed fire alarms, a firefighter said.

Supt. Don Byrne of the St. John's regional fire department said crews went through the complex because some residents had not responded to the alarms.

Byrne said the outcome could have been much more serious if the fire and smoke had not been contained inside the complex, where many of the residents are seniors.

"I'd have to say we were fortunate. [If] that fire [had] extended, we could have been looking at some big, some very different numbers," Byrne told CBC News.

Byrne said the 45-unit building is up to code, but that there are other systems available in the marketplace that set off emergency lights as well as alarm bells.

A woman who escaped the fire at the complex said thick, dark smoke had engulfed the building.

"I was still in my nightie and bare feet, and I got down to the entrance where people had gathered," said Emma Jenkins, who lives across the hall from the unit where Hopkins died.

"It was scary, but I knew we weren't in any danger, and my main concern was about the person in the room where this started."

Most residents of the Tiffany were allowed to return home Saturday.

Jenkins is staying with her daughter until fire damage to her unit is repaired.

She said residents were grateful to police, firefighters and the Salvation Army, who brought food and blankets, for how they responded to the weekend emergency.