No smoke alarms in home at time of Hamilton fire that killed 4, including 2 kids

Fire officials in Hamilton say there were no smoke alarms inside a townhouse where a fire formed that killed four people, including two children, last week.

Appearing alongside Hamilton Fire Chief David Cunliffe, Ontario Fire Marshal Jon Pegg said on Tuesday a couch caught fire on the main floor and quickly spread.

Both fire officials noted that the Derby Street home became engulfed in flames, making it challenging for residents to escape.

Investigator Mike Ross with Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal previously said there was no evidence of working smoke alarms in the house as of Friday afternoon.

RELATED: 4 people, including 2 children, killed in 3-alarm fire in Hamilton

Ross said the preliminary investigation suggested the fire started on the entire ground floor and spread before moving up the stairs to the second floor, where it caused some damage.

By law, every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. This covers single-family, semi-detached and townhomes.

Ontario government officials have said most fatal fires occur when residents are asleep, noting that working smoke alarms give people the time they need to escape a fire.

Police in Hamilton were called to help with the townhouse fire late Thursday and found six people inside who were taken to hospital.

Two adults and two children were later pronounced dead after firefighters pulled them from the house’s second floor, while two other adults were in stable condition as of early Friday morning.

Witnesses said neighbours rushed towards the burning Hamilton home with ladders as children inside screamed for help.

There were 133 fire-related deaths in Ontario in 2022 — the highest total in more than 20 years.

With files from The Canadian Press