Sparklers start porch fire on Walton Street

Cornwall firefighters get fans ready to air out this apartment building on Walton Street on April 23, 2015 after a porch fire. Witnesses says the fire started from children playing with sparklers. (Cornwall Newswatch/Bill Kingston)

CORNWALL – Some backyard fun with holiday sparklers took a dangerous turn Thursday night causing a porch fire in the city’s east end.

Eleven firefighters and four trucks were on the scene in the 1200 block of Walton Street, between Danis Avenue and Lefebvre Avenue around 7 p.m.

Witnesses say children playing with sparklers in the back of the building inadvertently started the porch fire when the hot sparks landed on some clothing items near the porch.

Amanda Summers was visiting one of the apartments in the multiplex and says her fiancee, Frederick Sherman, tried to put out the fire.

“My fiancee tried to put it out and everything. He has asthma. He’s the one that pretty much put the fire out. He tried to stomp it and then he tried to get pots of water to take it out. He was coughing,” Summers said.

Sherman was being looked at my paramedics in the ambulance and was expected to be transported to hospital to be evaluated.

Several other families could be seen consoling each other on the street corner nearby.

Summers says there was a lot of dark smoke but she didn’t see how much damage was done to the back of the building.

Firefighters wrapped up at the scene about an hour later.

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