Corktown highrise fire causes $225,000 in damages

A fire in an apartment of a Corktown highrise overnight Sunday caused injury to two tenants and the entire floor's evacuation.

On Monday at about 12:16 a.m., the Hamilton Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 123 Charlton Ave. E., located between Walnut Street South and Catharine Street South. A well-involved" fire was found in one of the units, according to an email from deputy fire chief Dan Milovanovic.

The call was upgraded to a multiple-alarm fire, which brought more resources to the scene.

A male tenant met fire officials on the ground floor, identifying his apartment on the eighth floor as the source of the fire, Milovanovic said. The man in his 60s suffered from minor burns and smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital.

Another man, 35, was taken to hospital for assessment after exposure to smoke, said Hamilton paramedic Supt. David Thompson in an email.

Crews quickly brought the fire under control, but there was extensive" damage to the unit and substantial" smoke damage to the hallway on the eighth floor, according to the email. The remaining 15 tenants on the floor that was evacuated were given temporary shelter by the Red Cross.

There was a fair amount of soot and smoke in the hallway," Milovanovic said on the phone.

The estimated damage is approximately $225,000, he added. The suspected cause of the fire is careless use of smoking materials.

From what we're determining, he misused his matches and smoking materials," said Milovanovic.

Maria Iqbal is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator covering aging. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com