UPDATE: Newmarket resident sent to hospital with burns in careless smoking fire

An occupant of a Norwick Road home was burned on the hands and arms after a fire broke out on the second floor last night

Supplied photo/Central York Fire Services

A Norwick Road house fire in Newmarket that sent one person to hospital last night with burns remains under investigation by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office, Central York Fire Services (CYFS) Deputy Chief Robert Comeau said.

The fire service estimates the damage to the two-story, detached home to be about $500,000, Comeau added.

There were no other reported casualties in the fire called in at about 7:20 p.m. Dec. 6, thanks to the early warning provided by the working smoke alarms in the home, Comeau said.

Careless smoking caused the fire at the house in the Stonehaven subdivision.

Firefighters noted smoke and fire coming from the second story of the home when they arrived. The occupants had already escaped outside after calling in the emergency themselves.

Norwick Road was closed while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire. CYFS worked in collaboration with York Regional Police and York Region Paramedic Services during the incident. Local utility companies were also on the scene.

The Office of the Fire Marshal and the fire service’s internal fire prevention division sent representatives to the scene this morning.

The CYFS wish to remind Newmarket residents to smoke safely. If you are a smoker, refrain from smoking inside. Most importantly, never smoke in bed or when feeling drowsy.

Here are quick facts about smoking and fires in Ontario:

Smoking accounts for eight per cent of all home fires annually in Ontario;
65 per cent of smoking fires are caused by “improper discarding” of smoking materials;
1 in 10 smoking fires result in an injury or death;
Smoking causes 1 in 4 home fire fatalities;
The average dollar loss per smoking fire in Ontario is $37,000;
In a fire emergency, every second counts. Provincial laws enforcing working smoke alarms save lives;
In a fire emergency, it is import to react immediately. Upon hearing the smoke alarm, exit immediately to call 9-1-1;
Do not spend time trying to suppress the fire. Fire can double in size every minute. Central York Fire Services urge residents to make their primary focus escape and alerting the emergency services by calling 9-1-1 from outside the home.