Fatal Sudbury apartment fire under investigation

One person is dead following an early morning fire at a three-unit apartment building on Hyland Drive in the hospital area of Greater Sudbury.

Sudbury police vehicle parked in the driveway of Hyland Drive apartment building where an early morning fire killed one and sent two others to hospital. Feb. 16/24 (Alana Everson/CTV Northern Ontario)

Firefighters got the call at 2:20 a.m. Friday after a fire started in the basement and filled the building with smoke, Sudbury deputy fire chief Jesse Oshell told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in a phone interview.

Crews from four stations – downtown, Long Lake, New Sudbury and Minnow Lake – responded and immediately began firefighting efforts.

Fire officials said before crews arrived tenants opened windows and that fuelled the fire.

“When opening windows that created a path for oxygen to both feed the fire and move that smoke up through the building and that’s when it really started to penetrate and fill the building with smoke,” sad Oshell.

Two people were able to get out on their own, but two people who were trapped on a second-floor balcony had to be rescued.

"Unfortunately, tragically, there was one person found in the basement who later passed away due to injuries sustained in the fire," Oshell said.

Officials confirm that there were working smoke alarms and a sprinkler system.

The owner of the building told CTV there were four tenants living in the building and one person was there visiting at the time of the fire and that the basement unit was unoccupied.

The two people who were rescued were sent to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

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The cause has not yet been determined and the scene has been turned over to the fire marshal and police for an investigation.

There is significant smoke and fire damage throughout the building.

Ontario Fire Marshal investigating fatal Sudbury fire on Hyland Drive. Feb. 16/24 (Alana Everson/CTV Northern Ontario)

The fire department cleared the scene around 4:45 a.m., Oshell said.