ONTARIO – No one was injured and two dogs were rescued in a house fire in southwest Ontario, Sunday, March 17.
The Ontario Fire & Rescue Department responded to the blaze at 1112 Lilac Lane at about 1 p.m. and discovered smoke coming from the attic.
Firefighters initially found the front door to the house locked and were unsure whether anyone was in the home.
Clint Benson, Ontario Fire & Rescue chief, then ordered firefighters to force the front door open.
“We always assume there are people inside until we can confirm they are not,” he said.
Right before firefighters breached the front door they learned the tenant of the home – Vance Harnden – was on his way to the house and there were two dogs, both golden Labradors, trapped inside.
When the firefighters entered the home, one of the dogs ran out. The second dog was then found inside a crate and carried out of the house. No one else was in the home.
As the firefighters moved through the house they opened an interior access door between the living room and the laundry room/attached garage and encountered heavy smoke and flames. The flames appeared from a base cabinet near the west wall of the garage.
Firefighters then worked to extinguish the fire in about 15 minutes.
The fire was contained to the garage area, said Benson.
Benson said 14 firefighters deployed to the blaze along with four fire trucks, including the new ladder truck.
“All and all, it was a good outcome for what we had going on,” said Benson.
Benson said the investigation into the fire indicates a possible electrical issue may have been the cause of the blaze.
News tip? Contact reporter Pat Caldwell at [email protected]
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