The Fire Department’s Office was notified of a suspected fire on Sunday afternoon in an apartment building in Westdale.
Several Hamilton fire crews responded to the scuffle at 44 Glen Rd., Near Main and Macklin streets, around 2:45 p.m., for reports of a multi-alarm structure fire.
At the scene, smoke was seen coming out of a unit on the 11th floor. Its balcony was covered with soot and its windows were shattered.
The fire department said in a tweet that the fire was extinguished upon entering. It caused significant damage to the affected unit and is considered suspicious.
About three dozen tenants left the 14-story building and left Macklin amid the roar of fire alarms.
Wael Abdelkader said he called 911 after seeing a puff of smoke under the door of a neighbor who looked charred.
“All the neighbors in the flat, we started running together,” he said, next to his family. “My wife is pregnant. She was running so fast she almost slipped. We’re worried about our (unit): she’s on the same floor.”
On the fifth floor, when the fire alarms sounded, a curious Tryistan Callaghan came out on his balcony.
“It smells like rubber and smoke,” he said. “I knew there was a fire and I went out and knocked on my neighbor’s door to tell him. I have my two cats in there, but I didn’t have enough time to get them out from under the couch. “
Firefighters remained at the scene from 5 p.m.
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