Tenants awake to 'terrifying' fire Tuesday outside downtown apartment
CBC
A resident of a building on Picton Street said he woke up to a "terrifying" scene after a fire broke out overnight Monday outside a 17-storey residential building near Queen's Avenue in London, Ont
The fire started in recycling bins and spread to a shelter and two parked cars causing an estimated $160,000 in damage, London Fire officials said.
One man was arrested hours after the incident with police saying the investigation was ongoing.
"It's pretty disturbing," said Joe Francis, who lives on the first floor of 22 Picton St.
He opened his curtains to see a "massive ball of fire" after smoke alarms woke him up and the smell of smoke filled his apartment.
"I called 911 right away and they were here pretty quickly, but by that time, the fire had already gotten pretty out of control. And looking at the wreckage right now, it's out my window, everything's destroyed, including a couple cars right beside it," he said.
Francis said he's concerned for his neighbours who live in the building, many who are elderly. This is the second fire he's seen in the building's recycling structure in two years, but this one was more intense, he said.
London Fire said they responded to 22 Picton St. at around 3 a.m. to find a fire recycling bins, shelter and two cars on fire.
Investigators said one of the cars was destroyed and the second sustained significant damage.
No one was hurt in the fire and residents of the apartment building didn't have to evacuate.