Restaurant fire spreads to neighbouring apartments in Hamilton

A fire that began in a Hamilton restaurant soon spread to the upstairs apartments, the Hamilton Fire Department confirmed.

According to Chief David Cunliffe a fire broke out at Charred, a rotisserie house at 244 James St, around noon on March 7. When fire crews arrived, they noted smoke pouring from the three-storey building.

The building holds the restaurant on the main floor and two floors of apartments above. The fire crews went around to the back of the building and found a “well-involved” fire in the restaurant.

The reported heavy smoke and fire in the kitchen which quickly spread through the cooking system ductwork. While the first crew fought the kitchen blaze, other firefighters combed the top two floors for residents.

At this point, the second team discovered the fire had spread to both apartment levels. Hamilton Fire upgraded the blaze to a Second Alarm allowing them to access more resources.

All residents of the building had already evacuated and no one was hurt. The fire crews managed to gain control of the blaze within half an hour of their arrival.

“This was a very stubborn fire as it was travelling between the second and third levels and the wall cavities,” Cunliffe described. As of his writing, crews remain on scene to watch for hotspots.

He said residents will not be able to return in the short term due to the damage the building sustained. All of them have made arrangements according to the landlord.

Hamilton Fire believes the fire started in restaurant kitchen. They don’t currently have an estimate of the cost of the damage.

Charred announced on social media they were closed until further notice writing, “The safety of our patrons and staff is our utmost priority, and we are working diligently with the fire department to address the situation.”