Upper Stoney Creek resident recounts 'scary' moments of fire that destroyed her and neighbours' homes

Aleesha Baxter woke up in her three-year-old daughter's bedroom early Monday morning to the sound of loud bangs.

"I thought it was a part of my dream. I woke up and I looked around … Then I heard it again — it sounded like something exploded," Baxter, who lives in one of 22 units in a townhouse complex in Upper Stoney Creek, told CBC Hamilton.

Baxter peaked through her blinds, and could only see orange and red flames and black smoke outside her window.

Baxter and her family were among the seven to 10 people who were displaced by the fire Monday at the 23 Echovalley Dr. complex.

Firefighters arrived at the scene just after 4 a.m. ET to what fire Chief Dave Cunliffe called an "aggressive" fire "driven by a strong wind that was going to the east."

At one point, the flames shot 12 metres into the air and nearly 50 firefighters were involved.

Cunliffe said Monday that five of the six townhouse units affected by the fire were "significantly damaged" — some had collapsed walls and roofs, and one unit's attic was damaged.

Baxter, an assistant professor at Anderson College, had been living in the rental unit for just over two years.

Baxter acted quickly once she realized there was a fire.

"I run to my daughter's room. I grab her, grab my phone, start dialling 911, running down the stairs."

Once she, her daughter and partner were out of the house, Baxter noticed that not many neighbours were outside, so she got into her car and honked her horn while driving around. Another neighbour went door to door to ring doorbells as a way to wake up any sleeping people inside and alert them to the fire.

Their efforts helped get everyone out of the complex. 

"There was a lot of community effort," Baxter said.

"It was really scary and full of panic. But it's good to see that in that moment, our community can come together to help each other."