St. Thomas fire officials are investigating a late-afternoon apartment fire in the city that claimed the life of a woman.
Firefighters were called to the six-unit, two-storey walk-up at 17 Mitchell Street, east of Hincks Street around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. When fire crews arrived flames could be seen coming from the window of a second storey unit, said Kim Destun, chief fire prevention officer at the St. Thomas Fire Department.
Firefighters searched the building and found an unresponsive woman in the upper level unit. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
No name or age has been released.
Working smoke alarms alerted other tenants in the building to the blaze which allowed them time to get out safely, said Destun.
The fire was contained to the deceased woman's apartment with minimal smoke damage elsewhere in the building. An early estimate pegs the damage at $400,000.
Local fire officials and members of the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office are expected to remain on scene throughout the day Friday, probing the cause of the blaze.
The fire is not considered suspicious, said Destun.
