Milton Fire successfully contains and prevents spread of major structure fire
Milton Fire & Rescue Services crews successfully contained a major overnight fire at the former Habitat for Humanity ReStore building at 700 Main St. There were no occupants inside the abandoned building at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported among emergency personnel.
After receiving a call at approximately 6:24 p.m. on Nov. 8, Milton Fire deployed 48 firefighters, including two command personnel, to battle the fire using aerial apparatus and large-volume hoses.
Crews evacuated residents from a nearby apartment building, prevented the fire from spreading, and brought the fire under control by approximately 1:25 a.m. on Nov. 9.
After the smoke was mitigated, evacuated residents were permitted to return to their apartments.
The Ontario Fire Marshal has been notified. The cause of the fire is under investigation by Halton Regional Police Service.
“Thank you to our firefighters, emergency responders, Town staff, and community partners for their exceptional work on this incident,” Mayor Gord Krantz said. “Their co-ordinated response kept residents safe and prevented the fire from spreading. It also reinforces the value of our Fire Master Plan, which strategically guides investments to ensure our fire and rescue services can continue to meet Milton’s evolving needs.”
“On behalf of Milton Fire & Rescue Services, I want to thank our crews, command, and partners who responded so quickly and professionally to this complex and resource-intensive emergency,” said Fire Chief Peter Gatto, Milton Fire & Rescue Services. “Our composite fire service model is comprised of full-time and part-time on-call firefighters, allowing us to rapidly scale resources during major emergencies. That capacity was critical last night, enabling crews to suppress the fire, protect and evacuate residents from a neighbouring apartment building, and maintain emergency coverage across Milton. This response demonstrates the strength of the model and the solid foundation we have been building through the Fire Master Plan.”
Response highlights
- Co-ordinated with Milton Transit to provide buses for temporary shelter and transportation to a warming centre at Memorial Arena.
- Deployed 46 firefighters and two command personnel to manage the incident and evacuate nearby residents, while an additional 10 personnel maintained emergency coverage across the community.
- Used Milton Fire & Rescue Services’ composite staffing model, which combines full-time and part-time on-call firefighters, allowing the department to quickly scale its response to a significant emergency while maintaining coverage for other unrelated incidents.
Resources deployed to the Main Street fire
- 46 firefighters, two command personnel, and two senior officers
- Five support vehicles
- Three aerial apparatus
- Three pumper/squad units
- Two incident command vehicles
- One rescue vehicle
- One air and lighting support unit