No working smoke, carbon monoxide alarms in Simcoe Street fire

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

A maddening trend for fire officials continued with a blaze at a Simcoe Street South building late last month.

Oshawa Fire Service was called to the building at 492 Simcoe Street South at around 5 p.m. on April 23.

Deputy Fire Chief Steve Barkwell says the building has several vacant businesses in the front, and residential units in the back, where the fire started.

While the fire caused $350,000 to the structure, luckily no one was hurt. Fire officials are still looking into the cause.

Upon investigation, Barkwell says it was discovered there were no working smoke or carbon monoxide alarms present, the latest in a long line of similar situations.

In early-February, Oshawa Fire Service revealed that in 10 fires within a 40-day period, eight of the affected buildings either had no smoke alarms installed or were without working batteries.

This came shortly after a fatal fire at a downtown Oshawa home in January that claimed four lives, including two children.

While still under investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal, it was revealed there were no working smoke alarms in the multiple-unit building where 11 people lived.

With the annual Alarmed for Life campaign just underway, Barkwell says it is “frustrating” to see the trend continue.

“This is popping up again, and this is in the corridor that we are focusing on with Alarmed for Life,” he adds.