Hanmer, St. Charles Lake fires scorch Sudbury dwellings

More than a dozen people have been displaced and two seriously injured after two fires in Sudbury yesterday.

One blaze was at a 16-unit apartment building on Rita Street in Hanmer, and the other destroyed a single-family home in the city's south end.

The Sudbury branch of the Red Cross was on the scene in Hanmer yesterday. A spokesperson says the Red Cross is helpingthree of the Hanmer apartment clients, as well as one of their pets. The residents are currently staying at Sudbury area hotels.

A total of 24 people were evacuated from the building.

The fire department said the fire was restricted to one apartment and estimated damage to be about $100,000. And though the official cause of the fire is not confirmed, a press release included a fire safety message to never smoke in bed.

The other fire took place in a home on St. Charles Lake Road in the city's south end.

The house, which is located on a quiet part of the street and backs onto the lake, had two of its front windows boarded up Tuesday morning. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air.

Sudbury Fire Services Platoon Chief Terry Larocque said that fire was caused by a wood-burning appliance in the basement of the home.

"Fire spread through the floor joists, he said.

We had marble and slate floors on the main floor on top of the floor joists. They spent hours cutting through these floors to find the concealed fires."

He estimated the home sustained about $800,000 in damage from the fire.

The family is safe and staying with friends.