Dozens of residents in emergency shelter after Windsor apartment fire

Residents from 51 apartments at Wheelton Manor will be in emergency shelter at the WFCU Centre Thursday night, the City of Windsor says, after a morning fire.

According to Windsor's fire prevention officer, crews responded to 333 Glengarry Ave. around 10:30 a.m. ET for a fire on the seventh floor on the apartment building.

The City of Windsor says 11 people were assessed by EMS, and five people, including a firefighter with a lower extremity injury, were taken to hospital for "further minor treatment."

While a "quick response" from Windsor Fire and Rescue Services meant the fire could be contained and ventilated, the city says residents from floors six, seven and eight are unable to return home "until further notice."

A temporary emergency shelter has been set up at the WFCU Centre for all displaced residents, the city says, and residents will be transported from the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub to the WFCU Centre this evening. 

"City of Windsor and Red Cross staff are onsite at the temporary emergency shelter, ready to meet the needs of displaced residents and their pets," the city said in a statement. 

Residents on floors one to five of the building are able to return home Thursday night. While the building will be without hot water, there will be heat and power, according to the city. 

Mike Coste, the fire service's prevention officer, said the severity of the call prompted an upgraded response from the fire service and the entire building was evacuated. 

It's still too early to determine the fire's origin or cause, Coste said. 

Ontario's Office of the Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate and it's believed the scene will be held overnight, firefighters say, with roads in the area remaining closed.

Coste said there was another fire in the building Wednesday night, but it was unrelated and "not considered suspicious" at this time.