Multi-unit fire displaces 11 people in Moncton

Cameron Street in Moncton was quiet Monday morning, but boarded-up windows, caution-tape and the smell of smoke remained – the aftermath of a multi-unit fire early Sunday morning.

“Upon arrival we noted that there were a number of people hanging out windows, so we actually had to take someone from a third story window via ladder and then someone else from a second story window,” said Deputy Chief of Operations at the Moncton Fire Department Keith Guptill.

At the same time, a number of firefighters and members from the Codiac RCMP worked to evacuate the ground floor units.

Guptill says the only injuries were minor smoke inhalation from the two victims who were rescued.

Two side-by-side on Cameron Street had to be evacuated – including one home that had been renovated into a seven-unit building – and one building suffered minor damage from the heat and smoke.

“What happens in these balloon frame buildings, they are built on a foundation and the walls are empty all the way to the attic so no matter where the fire starts, it travels very fast because there’s a lot of void spaces and empty spaces,” said Guptill. “In these older homes where it’s the plaster and the lath, it’s very hard to gain access to those walls compared to like chip rock that we would have today in our homes. What it did is it got into the ceiling and the attic space and again behind that lath and plaster and then the sheaving that would be on the roof, we had to cut holes, five or six holes, in the roof to chase this fire down.”

Fire-damaged buildings on Cameron Street in Moncton. (Source: Alana Pickrell/CTV News Atlantic)

The incident left 11 people with nowhere to go.

Guptill says Codiac Transportation were called immediately so the displaced tenants had somewhere to wait. Canadian Red Cross was on scene with emergency kits and it helped make immediate accommodations. NB Power turned off the electricity so fire crews could use water to safely put out the blaze.

“It’s such a joint effort between them, and of course Codiac RCMP, it’s this huge thing as we try to get around these victims and make sure they’re okay,” he said.

Crews first got the call shortly after 2 a.m. and were on scene until about 7 a.m. The fire is under investigation.

Those at the blaze say it was a difficult one to put out and it required an all-hands-on-deck response.

“We got a call around 2:05 a.m. Sunday morning. That call told us at least two houses were on fire, possibly three and so of course we responded with four units initially and then sent a fifth unit which would be the entire city for coverage,” said Guptill. “We brought in extra staff to staff one of our own units, our spare units, it’s called a ready reserve and the other thing we do is we put Dieppe and Riverview on stand by. We will suspend some of the minor calls, but any of the larger calls, Dieppe and Riverview will come over and look after those calls while we’re doing that.”

While he didn’t want to speak for the fire chief, Guptill says increasing the number of firefighters the city has is on the chief’s radar.

The City of Moncton confirmed the department currently has 115 members, which breaks down to 68 firefighters, 20 captains, 20 lieutenants, three training officers and four fire prevention staff.

“Earlier this year, City Council adopted a motion to proceed with a 10-year masterplan for the fire department. It looks at a wide range of services and resources. Included is a section on human resources,” Isabelle LeBlanc, director of communications, said in an email to CTV News. “Work on the masterplan has already begun and it is set to be presented at the end of 2024. The masterplan will provide us with what may be required in the next decade.”

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