April 29, 2015 – A Prince Arthur Boulevard property owner has been ticketed for failing to have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms as required by the Ontario Fire Code after Thunder Bay Fire Rescue responded to a structural fire at the residence on Monday, April 27. Each ticket carries a fine of $360.

Flames and heavy smoke were visible when Firefighters arrived. An interior attack by the first arriving unit quickly brought the fire under control. The cause of the fire was unattended cooking which caused extensive damage to the kitchen.

During the fire investigation, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue investigators discovered there were no working smoke or carbon monoxide alarms in the residence. The occupant was only alerted to the fire by smelling the smoke coming from the kitchen.

“Working smoke alarms save lives, they give you the valuable time needed to safely escape a fire emergency,” said Fire Chief John Hay. “If this fire had occurred at night the outcome would have been very tragic.”

Cooking fires are the leading cause of residential structural fires. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue reminds everyone to keep the area around your stove free from clutter and to never leave cooking unattended.

“’Look while you cook’ is one of the important fire safety messages we use in our educational programs,” said Fire Chief John Hay. “A cooking fire can start in a matter of seconds so you should never leave the kitchen while cooking.”

Thunder Bay Fire Rescue reminds residents that it is the law to have working smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside all sleeping areas. Carbon Monoxide alarms are also now required by law to be installed outside any sleeping areas.

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Contact:  Anthony Stokaluk, Public Education Officer – Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, 625-2802 (office), 631-7033(cell) or astokaluk@thunderbay.ca