On a cold morning in the Bronx, New York, in January 2022, a space heater in a duplex unit of a high-rise apartment ignited, sparking massive flames and sending thick black smoke through the nineteen floors of the apartment complex. The disaster resulted in 44 injuries and 17 deaths, including 8 children.
This was one of the most catastrophic fires in North America in decades, but just one fire of many with a horrific outcome in the first month of 2022. In Canada alone:
- An electrical fire in a twelve-story Vancouver high-rise apartment complex killed 1 and displaced occupants of 12 other suites.
- A Toronto apartment fire sent 4 people to the hospital.
- 3 people, including a baby, were injured in an Etobicoke apartment building fire that displaced 40 people.
- A blaze in a Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu apartment destroyed all 24 units of the complex, damaging the structural integrity of the entire building.
- A three-story apartment in Winnipeg was declared a total loss after a blaze started in a unit quickly engulfed the entire building.
Common Threats
As these cases demonstrate, fire can affect people of all backgrounds in all geographic locations.
Housing fires have any number of causes, including but not limited to:
- Faulty, degraded or damaged electrical wiring
- Unattended candles or cigarettes
- Pots, pans or other dishes overheating in the kitchen
- Lithium batteries sparking or combusting
- Overstressed extension cords
- Improperly stored chemicals or natural gas cannisters
- Misused or malfunctioning heating or cooling units, including space heaters
An Increased Threat
A blaze in a multi-family residence can start any number of ways, but the harm often isn’t restricted to the area where the incident began. While the fire department’s aim is to minimize the damage to a vicinity as close to the source of origin as possible, firefighters face unique challenges in multi-unit buildings.
As communities grow and the need for housing increases, many structures that were once zoned for commercial use or for single family residence have been modified to house multiple families. In the process, safety hazards have not always been considered. Firefighters faced with putting out a fire in these buildings can run into myriad hazards, including:
- Overcrowding
- Unorthodox building construction
- Antiquated or insufficient electrical wiring
- Hard to find utility shutoffs
Further complicating matters, shared heating and cooling in a multi-unit home can create chutes for smoke, soot and asphyxiation-causing-gases to rush through the building. While a fire in a single room is burning, thick black smoke may be spreading toxic fumes, not only to other units in the building, but outside to adjacent properties.
A Rapid Threat
It’s important to be aware of just how fast a fire can spread in a multi-family property. Apartment fires can quickly spread heat and smoke throughout a building, affecting all occupants. In just thirty seconds a fire that was a minor inconvenience for one can turn into a life-threatening emergency for all.
A fire can quickly raise a room’s temperature to over 300 degrees Celsius, melting parts of the home and forcefully driving smoke odour and toxic soot into porous walls, insulation and furniture. Within minutes, dense smoke can begin to discolor appliances, furniture and upholstery, rapidly turning the most porous materials yellow and filling them with toxic odour. It then begins to stain grout, fiberglass and marble countertops and soon thereafter permanently tarnishes some metals.
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