Police Suspect Arson After Two Fires Strike Mississauga Apartment Complex
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At least 18 people were hospitalized, including first responders, after heavy smoke trapped residents in the 920 Inverhouse Apartments.
A suspected arson attack at the 920 Inverhouse Apartments in Mississauga sent at least 18 people to the hospital Monday morning, including one police officer and one firefighter, according to reporting from CBC News and Global News.
Emergency crews responded to the scene around 3 a.m., as reported by CBC News, while Global News noted police were called around 3:40 a.m. after reports of a blaze in the vicinity of Lakeshore Road West and Inverhouse Drive. Ryan Baird, deputy chief of Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, told CBC News that firefighters located the blaze on the third floor. While the fire was extinguished quickly, it generated heavy smoke that obstructed stairwells, making evacuation difficult for residents.
As a result, fire crews rescued approximately 16 people from balconies on the third and fourth floors, Baird told CBC News. Residents Olivia Scandlan and Philip Drewniak told CBC News that smoke appeared to be coming from both stairwells during their descent.
Peel paramedics informed CBC News that 18 people were transported to the hospital, with two listed in serious but non-life threatening condition. Acting Sgt. Amanda Steenson of Peel police told Global News that a police officer was injured while assisting a firefighter in rescuing an individual from the residence, and a firefighter was also injured during the operation.
Investigators are treating the incident as suspicious. Acting Sgt. Amanda Steenson told CBC News that police suspect arson because a smaller fire had occurred at the same location—on the third floor near a stairwell—the night before. Steenson stated that police are investigating whether the two incidents are connected and will be reviewing the building's CCTV footage.
Baird noted that the Ontario fire marshal was brought in to conduct an investigation following the blaze. While most residents were permitted to return to their homes by Monday afternoon, Steenson told CBC News that residents in one unspecified area of the building remained displaced.