Tenants flee Whitby fire
Tenants flee Whitby fire
11 August 2010
published by www.torontosun.com
Canada — Hours after a roof fire sent them running into the night, Andrea Radnoti, 26, and her boyfriend came back in borrowed clothes to salvage what they could from their water damaged apartment.
The couple are two of the 43 people left homeless after the fire early Wednesday tore across the roof of 711 Dundas St. W.
Radnoti woke up around 12:30 a.m. to go to the bathroom when she heard the fire spreading across the roof.
I just happened to look out the window because I heard really loud crackling, she said. As soon as I opened the window there was flames and people screaming from across the street to get out.
She called out to her boyfriend, grabbed his three-year-old daughter and ran out into the night.
When we got out of the building and looked around the corner, the entire top of our apartment was engulfed in flames, she said. I just wanted to get her out of there as fast as possible,
The couple had just moved into the apartment three months ago.
They came back to salvage what they could and firefighters helped them load the familys 46-inch TV into their car.
Radnoti said their apartment has water damage and shes not sure when theyll be able to come back.
Were really lucky we have good friends and family to depend on for right now, she said. Were just hoping that everything works out and we can go back home.
Building resident Bruno Plourde woke up to people shouting, Fire!
I was thinking I was dreaming, I had a really hard day, so when I got up, I went down first and I saw the smoke, he said. It was exactly how it is in the movies, I was just on the other side of the road and there was a small fire on the roof and then, like they do in the movies, boom out of nowhere it just started flaming … really high flames.
Damage is estimated between $500,000 to $750,000, said Shawna Coulter, of Whitby Fire.
