A 63-year-old woman remains in critical condition in hospital after an apartment fire in Bracebridge on Saturday night.
The fire broke out on the ground floor of a two-story apartment building at 19 Monck Rd. shortly after 6 p.m. When firefighters arrived on scene they discovered the apartment engulfed in flames with local residents trying to put it out.
“All of the sudden I see two of my friends running up to the building throwing snow on the fire trying to put it out. Two more of the friends came around the corner with fire extinguishers trying to put it out,” says Brandon Rockburn, a tenant of the building.
Bracebridge firefighters entered the apartment and located an unconscious woman and brought her out to safety. The woman was transported to South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, where she was airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto with life-threatening injuries.
The woman’s two dogs were also inside the apartment and perished in the blaze.
Police have identified the woman as Gwendolyn Cartwright of Bracebridge. People who knew Cartwright say she always tried to make people laugh.
“Such a great lady and she always tries to make everybody laugh and smiles all the time,” says Jenna Smith, of Oliver’s Coffee. “As soon as we didn't see her this morning we knew something was up.”
The fire was contained to the single unit. Nobody else was injured in the fire and residents that were displaced were assisted by Muskoka Victim Services and the Salvation Army.
“We had three local hotels that were able to assist us and take them for the night and also we were able to provide food for them,” says Chris Eby of Muskoka Victim Services.
Bracebridge fire says there were working fire alarms in the building, but people say Cartwright suffered from a hearing impairment.
A member of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office was at the scene today and is assisting in the investigation.
