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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.