A resident of an Oshawa home that caught fire early Monday, leaving two people dead and two others unaccounted for, is recounting his escape from the blaze.
Mike Thompson, 52, is one of five people who made it out of the rowhouse on Olive Avenue.
Emergency crews were first called to the scene shortly before 1 a.m. Monday.
“I was woken up by the tenants from the first floor saying there was a fire and to get out of the house,” Thompson told Global News.
“When we (came) out of the room, there was so much smoke we couldn’t see anything. We had to feel our way around in order to get to the bathroom and smash out the window and crawl out the back.”
Thompson said the home owner’s son-in-law, who lived on the first floor with his wife and one of his sons, is who woke him up. The man’s two other boys stayed on the second floor of the home.
“We assumed he was getting all the kids out because he told us to get out, and once we were out, we realized the kids weren’t out and there was no way of getting back in,” Thompson said, referring to the two boys on the second floor.
“The whole house was engulfed in flames.”
Thompson said the home’s owner escaped from the blaze with him and also tried to smash third-floor windows to try and save two other men.
“He screamed for them there was no response from them whatsoever,” Thompson said.
“They may have been taken over by smoke already at that time.”
Family and friends have said they believe two children and two men did not escape.
Thompson said he doesn’t know what could’ve caused the fire.
He said the two children who he believes didn’t escape were, “Very polite, very well-behaved boys.”
“I feel like crap cuz I couldn’t do more,” Thompson said.
“And my two friends on the third floor too, that I’ve known for a long time.”
Durham Regional Police said Tuesday that an autopsy will be conducted to determine the identities of the bodies recovered.
The Office of the Fire Marshal said its investigators were at the scene on Tuesday, ready to get to work.
“The most important part right now is shoring up the building, making sure it’s safe for our investigators to do the investigation,” said Fire Marshal Jon Pegg.
“I can tell you this will be a very thorough and a very long investigation.”
Durham police said they are conducting a parallel investigation into the fire.
— With files from Catherine McDonald, Gabby Rodrigues and The Canadian Press
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
