Fire officials in the Sault are reviewing what happened after fire crews were dispatched to the wrong address when responding to a fire on Prentice Avenue on Aug. 13. In an email to CTV News Northern Ontario, fire chief Naomi Thibault said that the call to respond to a structure fire came in at 5:24 p.m. “Crews from all four stations were dispatched to respond,” Thibault said. “The initial dispatch information for this incident directed crews to the wrong address.” The first fire crew to arrive at the correct address on Prentice Avenue got there at 5:35 p.m. but immediately encountered problems. “Crews encountered hydrants that were not available for use and utilized water carried on fire apparatus to actively fight the fire until a functioning hydrant was located and utilized on Douglas Street,” the email said. The fire badly damaged the home and destroyed a shed, where fire officials said the blaze started. “There is extensive fire and smoke damage to the residential garage structure and the residential dwelling as well as to a vehicle that was in close proximity to the dwelling,” a news release Aug. 14 said. “There is also fire and heat exposure damage to two neighbouring residential dwellings. There were no injuries to report.” In her email, Thibault said a review into what happened is underway. “As we do with all incidents, the department is reviewing our operations at this fire and any opportunities to strengthen our response will be implemented,” she said. “We will not be commenting further on specific operational details while we continue to review the circumstances of the incident.”
