Sarnia council took a moment to publicly thank everyone involved in the emergency response at Fairwinds Lodge during its regular meeting Monday.
Councillor Brian White was the first to express his gratitude.
"[I'm] grateful to hear that there were no casualties and that the coordinated efforts were unbelievably well coordinated," said White. "I'm hearing incredible things from the community, so I just wanted to commend you all and thank you for your service on that."
Sarnia Fire and Rescue Services Chief Bryan Van Gaver echoed White's statement and said he was notified very early on and at the scene quickly.
"By that time, there were already critical decisions made and plans implemented to complete that evacuation of all residents," Van Gaver said. "Without that timely coordination, as we all know, this could have been a lot worse. So, we're all extremely thankful of the effort staff put in."
Van Gaver said his firefighters, members of Sarnia police and staff at the Michigan Avenue site worked as a team in the key initial moments.
"We go by a motto. We will risk a lot when there's lives that can be saved, we'll risk moderately for property that can be saved and we won't risk anything on lives or property that's already lost. Staff really put themselves in harm's way to complete this [rescue] and I couldn't be more proud of our staff right now."
Van Gaver said their incident commander, Acting Platoon Chief Todd MacDonald, did a "fantastic job all night."
"He had several moving pieces and at any given moment you could ask him what was going on and he knew exactly what was going on and where people were."
About 75 Sarnia firefighters were supported by crews from Point Edward, St. Clair Township and Port Huron. Lambton EMS, Victim Services Sarnia-Lambton, and Sarnia Transit also assisted in the transfer of residents to a temporary shelter at Lambton College.
Chief Van Gaver said his crews were still on scene Monday afternoon.
"A lot of hot spots with a fire of that magnitude, so we're putting those out, and I would assume by the time I get out of this meeting the Ontario Fire Marshal will also be on scene and we'll be starting that investigation. Which will probably last a few days."
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said he would be talking about the "flawless" response with Canada's Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino, during a meeting Tuesday.
Council asked that official thank you letters be sent to each agency that helped, especially the Port Huron Fire Department which crossed the Blue Water Bridge as part of an "international mutual aid agreement to assist."
Damage at Fairwinds Lodge. January 16, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Greg Grimes)
Sienna Senior Living, which operates Fairwinds Lodge, provided an update to the community Monday afternoon.
Senior Manager of Media Relations and Communications Nadia Daniell-Colarossi reiterated that all residents and team members were safe.
"All residents are staying with family or at other accommodations in the community," said Daniell-Colarossi. "The team carried out the home's evacuation response plan and worked in coordination with first responders to ensure everyone's safety."
Daniell-Colarossi thanked the community for assisting them in their time of need.
"We appreciate our dedicated team members who have worked tirelessly over the past 15-16 hours and the outpouring of support from the City of Sarnia," she said. "The cause of the fire is under investigation by the fire department. As a result of significant damage and for safety reasons the home remains completely closed. Team members are making immediate arrangements to ensure residents have necessities such as clothing and toiletries. We will be providing residents and families with regular updates and as we receive more information about the status of the home we will communicate next steps. Residents and families can also contact our central line 1-866-959-4848 should they have questions."
Matthew Dochstader, a creative director with Paradox Images, released a drone video of the damage Monday afternoon.
Sarnia News Today asked for permission to share it. It can be viewed below.