A St. Catharines resident is in the ICU after an electrical fire.
St. Catharines Fire crews were called to a two-storey home on Park Avenue just before 8 p.m. Monday night after a fire started in an upper floor bedroom when electrical equipment overloaded a circuit and caused the bedding it was against to ignite.
The resident was able to leave the building and asked a neighbour to call 911 before they went back inside the home.
The occupant was later transported to the St. Catharines hospital.
Further investigation by fire crews revealed the home did not have a working smoke or carbon monoxide alarm.
Fire Chief Jeff McCormick says, "Improperly used electrical equipment including frayed or damaged extension cords are a frequent source of fires in the home. The lack of smoke alarms could have meant the worst had the resident not been aware of the fire's start."
Smoke alarms are required on every storey of a home and outside sleeping areas. Carbon monoxide alarms are required outside sleeping areas in homes with a source of carbon monoxide.