City of Cornwall – Two Structure Fires in Four Days City of Cornwall

Cornwall Fire Services (CFS) responded to two structure fires in four days.

The first fire occurred on November 26th at 7:00 pm in the area of McConnell Ave and First St W, whereas the second fire occurred on November 29th in the area of Walton St. and Carleton St. One individual was treated by Paramedics on scene and transported to hospital for smoke inhalation. Three family pets perished in the Walton and Carleton area fire.

On both occasions, the Cornwall Fire Services initially responded with four fire vehicles and 10 personnel. Firefighters battled heavy fire conditions and made valorous efforts to extinguish the fires. A second alarm was called on each incident due to the seriousness of the fire, bringing in 6 additional off duty firefighters. Through the quick actions of fire crews, both fires were contained to the unit and building of origin.

In general, the City of Cornwall Fire Service continues to see non-compliance with working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms along with a lack of seriousness taken to their operational requirements.

“This just can’t continue — as residents of the City of Cornwall we are putting ourselves and our neighbors in peril for no reason. Not only is it the law but smoke and carbon monoxide alarms save lives,” said Fire Chief Matthew Stephenson. “Please make sure that you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home.”

Every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas as a minimum, newer buildings have higher requirements. Make sure your smoke alarms are kept in good working condition.

Failure to have a working smoke alarm can result in a ticket for $360 or a fine of up to $50,000 for individuals, and $100,000 for corporations.

CFS offers the following tips on smoke alarms
• Test your smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries every year or whenever the low-battery warning sounds or as the manufacture recommends.
• Vacuum the outside of the smoke alarm once a year using the soft bristle attachment on your vacuum cleaner.
• Replace smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old.
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installing, testing, and maintaining smoke alarms

For more safety tips, visit the City of Cornwall website As part of an enhanced public education program; residents will see an increased presence of CFS personnel in the neighbourhoods of Walton St. and McConnell Ave. Saturday December 3rd. Firefighters will be providing fire safety information to residents, discussing smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements and escape planning