A 54-year old Glace Bay man died in an early morning fire that broke out in a duplex. The owner of the duplex, Gerry Somerton was removed from the building and transported to the Glace Bay Hospital by the EHS where he was declared dead by his injuries.
Deadly nature of fire
Troy Christoff who resided in the other side of the duplex with his partner was in shock. According to Christoff, Somerton was over at his place on Sunday evening, watching an NHL playoff game. It was around 10 PM when Gerry left.
The turn of events occurred rapidly but they heard banging noises from Somerton’s side of the duplex around 1 AM while the sound of a smoke detector was going off. Immediately, smoke started pouring in through the walls and power outlets. Christoff ran outside and opened Somerton’s front door.
According to Glace Bay Fire Chief John Chant, they received a call. Upon arrival, the first made entry via the front door immediately. In just seconds, they had the person out and promptly started CPR on Somerton. Chant added that there was heavy smoke within the structure but little fire that the firefighters were able to enter and go out quickly.
It was discovered that there was some blown-in insulation in the attic. Chant stated that the fire has been deemed accidental. Most of the damage was in the living room area and the entire apartment received high heat damage.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a first aid and CPR class and for more information, check out these sources:
Wikipedia – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): Overview and Procedures
Mayo Clinic – First Aid CPR Basics: Understanding Techniques and Procedures
WebMD – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Treatment: Insights and Guidelines