4 people hospitalized trying to rescue cats in Oro-Medonte, Ont. shelter fire
Several people have been hospitalized with smoke inhalation after rushing into a burning building to save multiple animals at a cat shelter on Shanty Bay Road in Oro-Medonte, Ont.
Officials say a garbage truck caught on fire late Friday morning, spreading to a nearby dumpster and then the building that houses the cat shelter.
"There were several explosions before you knew it the garbage bin was on fire, then the building was on fire, then the glass was being blown out," said Carol Snow, director at Street Cats Rescue.
A dump truck on fire in Oro-Medonte, Ont., on Fri., May 26, 2023. (Courtesy: Michael Chorney/At The Scene Photography)
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local news updates sent to your inbox
Several people rushed to help pull the cats from the burning building.
"Two ladies ran in. I followed them to make sure they were okay. We started a line and just started getting cats in cages out of the building," said Michael Chorney.
"There was so much smoke at that point you couldn't see your hand in front of your face," Snow added.
"We got as many cats out as we could, then the panic really set in, not being able to get the cats because the smoke was thickening. It was getting dark in there. It was hard to see, hard to breathe," Chorney said.
Four people, including Chorney and Snow, suffered smoke inhalation.
Officials say 30 of the 56 cats were accounted for, and seven of those have been taken to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire has since been extinguished while crews work to douse hot spots.
Firefighters battle a fire on Shanty Bay Road in Oro-Medonte, Ont., on Fri., May 26, 2023. (Courtesy: Linda Campbell)
The building isn't a total loss, the fire chief said. However, it sustained significant damage.
Neighbours have stepped in to offer shelter to some of the now-displaced cats while staff at the shelter figure out their next steps.
"Financially, we're going to be in trouble," Snow said. "Everything in the shelter is going to be smoke damaged. I don't know what the veterinary care is going to be at this point. These cats were in this thick, black smoke. I don't know what the long-term effects of that are going to be."
By late Friday afternoon, the shelter confirmed all the cats had been found.
Anyone interested in donating to help the shelter can reach out to Street Cats Rescue.
With files from CTV's Catalina Gillies
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.