Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) staff continue to work at the fire scene that was the Muskoka Heights Retirement residence, located at 327 Old Muskoka Road in Orillia. Working amid frigid temperatures, there are concerns with structural collapse and heavy equipment has been brought in. Additional staff from the OFM, including professional engineers, are on the scene today to assist with the investigation. Currently, a thick layer of ice covers all surfaces at the site.
OFM engineers are conducting an audit of the building and assessing the fire alarm system. The origin and cause investigation continues.
The fire claimed the lives of two individuals and eight remain in hospital. The facility was home to 23 residents.
One of the priorities of the OFM is to prevent a fire like this from ever occurring again. To fulfil this priority, the OFM continues to work with a number of community partners including the City of Orillia Fire Department, Ontario Provincial Police, the EMS service and the regional coroner Dirk Huyer.
Firefighters from the Cities of Orillia and Barrie, Severn, Oro-Medonte, Ramara, Tiny and Tay Townships and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation Fire Rescue were all involved in this emergency situation. The OFM is in the preliminary phase of its investigation.
January 22, 2009
Nothing new to report.
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