The six-unit building was heavily damaged as Kitchener fire crews battled the blaze overnight and were still working to extinguish hot spots as of Sunday afternoon.
Patrick O’Halloran, assistant chief of the Kitchener Fire Department, estimated the damage at about $4 million.
“The apartment was fully involved with heavy smoke and flames visible on arrival, crews had to access the building using a second floor fire escape,” O’Halloran said.
Crews had to open the roof of the building to get the upper hand in extinguishing the flames.
Fire crews responded to the fire at the building at the corner of St.  George and Benton around 6:30 p.m.
The Kitchener Fire Department is tackling a fire on the corner of Benton and St George streets.  (Chris Thomson/CTV Kitchener)
The fire caused Waterloo Regional Police to close Queen Street from Courtland Avenue to Church Street.  St.  George was also closed from Benton Street to Cedar Street South.
About 10 fire engines, including an ariel truck, rushed to the spot.
“It took them a while to assess the situation — they didn’t start putting water on probably until about 7:15 — and now they’ve been putting water on for a while, but they had kids going into the building almost immediately,” Kitchener resident Dan Cardy said. who lives nearby.
As fire crews battled the flames, Kitchener Wilmot Hydro reported an outage in the area affecting 1,350 customers.
The outage began at 7:45 p.m
Kitchener Wilmot Hydro reported an outage in the area affecting 1,350 customers.  (Kitchener Wilmot Hydro)
On Sunday, July 10, police said power had been restored to the area.
RESIDENTS ARE RESPONDING TO THE FIRE
“People started knocking on my doors and telling me to get out and I was trying to get my cats out,” said Mo Markham, a resident of the building for 11 years.  “We’re all going to have to find somewhere to live at least for a while. I don’t know if the building, if they’ll be able to rebuild it.”
Markham is also asking people to be on the lookout for six cats believed to have been lost during the fire.
The lead investigator told CTV News the fire is believed to have originated on the third floor in a unit at the rear of the building.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, however it is not believed to be suspicious.
Connor Simpson, a building resident who was on his computer when the fire broke out, said he was alerted by the smell of smoke.
“[I] I smelled smoke, I looked out and saw smoke coming from my window, I went out to see what the hell was going on outside and everything on the second floor on that side was on fire.”
PASSER BY RUNS IN TO HELP
Tyler Leatherland was walking past the building when he called, noticed the fire and called emergency services.
He then ran into the building to offer aid to those still inside.
“I noticed people weren’t coming out of the building, I couldn’t hear the fire alarms, so we thought we’d go into the building to alert the residents,” Leatherland said.
The Canadian Red Cross was called in to help.  They said they are currently supporting three residents, with others possibly being supported by friends and family.

title: “A Fire In Kitchener Displaced Nine People And Caused 4 Million In Damage " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-23” author: “Kathleen Pate”

The six-unit building was heavily damaged as Kitchener fire crews battled the blaze overnight and were still working to extinguish hot spots as of Sunday afternoon.
Patrick O’Halloran, assistant chief of the Kitchener Fire Department, estimated the damage at about $4 million.
“The apartment was fully involved with heavy smoke and flames visible on arrival, crews had to access the building using a second floor fire escape,” O’Halloran said.
Crews had to open the roof of the building to get the upper hand in extinguishing the flames.
Fire crews responded to the fire at the building at the corner of St.  George and Benton around 6:30 p.m.
The Kitchener Fire Department is tackling a fire on the corner of Benton and St George streets.  (Chris Thomson/CTV Kitchener)
The fire caused Waterloo Regional Police to close Queen Street from Courtland Avenue to Church Street.  St.  George was also closed from Benton Street to Cedar Street South.
About 10 fire engines, including an ariel truck, rushed to the spot.
“It took them a while to assess the situation — they didn’t start putting water on probably until about 7:15 — and now they’ve been putting water on for a while, but they had kids going into the building almost immediately,” Kitchener resident Dan Cardy said. who lives nearby.
As fire crews battled the flames, Kitchener Wilmot Hydro reported an outage in the area affecting 1,350 customers.
The outage began at 7:45 p.m
Kitchener Wilmot Hydro reported an outage in the area affecting 1,350 customers.  (Kitchener Wilmot Hydro)
On Sunday, July 10, police said power had been restored to the area.
RESIDENTS ARE RESPONDING TO THE FIRE
“People started knocking on my doors and telling me to get out and I was trying to get my cats out,” said Mo Markham, a resident of the building for 11 years.  “We’re all going to have to find somewhere to live at least for a while. I don’t know if the building, if they’ll be able to rebuild it.”
Markham is also asking people to be on the lookout for six cats believed to have been lost during the fire.
The lead investigator told CTV News the fire is believed to have originated on the third floor in a unit at the rear of the building.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, however it is not believed to be suspicious.
Connor Simpson, a building resident who was on his computer when the fire broke out, said he was alerted by the smell of smoke.
“[I] I smelled smoke, I looked out and saw smoke coming from my window, I went out to see what the hell was going on outside and everything on the second floor on that side was on fire.”
PASSER BY RUNS IN TO HELP
Tyler Leatherland was walking past the building when he called, noticed the fire and called emergency services.
He then ran into the building to offer aid to those still inside.
“I noticed people weren’t coming out of the building, I couldn’t hear the fire alarms, so we thought we’d go into the building to alert the residents,” Leatherland said.
The Canadian Red Cross was called in to help.  They said they are currently supporting three residents, with others possibly being supported by friends and family.