A generator that caught fire has left behind grief and hardship for the Shanty Bay community.
The Oro-Medonte Fire department responded to a call at 3:17 p.m. Thursday about a generator fire that spread to a home.
Neighbour Rob Bite said his older neighbour’s generator caught fire in the garage and the neighbour tried to drag it outside.
“The wind caught it (the fire) and it spread to the house,” Bite said from his home where he, too, is running a generator for power.
Since the ice storm Saturday, the neighbourhood has suffered from loss of power, water food and now, for one resident, shelter.
“I have never seen someone watch their home burn to the ground while pets are inside – this is something I’ll never forget,” Bite said. Two family members were rescued, however the family’s cat died in the fire, he said.
The neighbour was sent to hospital with burns, and Bite said he was transferred to a Toronto hospital Thursday night.
In addition to the homeowner, a firefighter suffered a medical emergency at the scene and was taken to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre for medical assistance, said Oro-Medonte Fire Chief Roree Payment.
The fire was brought under control quickly, but due to the size of the fire on arrival and the winds, the home was destroyed, he said.
Payment estimates it caused $900,000 in damage.