GORE BAY – Although the Gore Bay firefighter contingent were able to get to a fire in a home on Hall Street in record time and contain the blaze, in the end the home was destroyed.
“The fire was fully involved by the time we arrived,” said Gore Bay fire chief Mike Addison, who noted the call arrived at 12:37 pm on December 30. “We were able to do a defensive attack, but it was not safe for anyone to enter the building.”
The split level home on Hall Street is described as “a complete write-off” and apparently began in the rear of the home.
Although no cause has yet been determined, faulty electrical wiring is an early suspect as a potential cause of the fire, but an insurance inspector is investigating the cause more closely. The fire is not being regarded as suspicious.
“The occupant (David Montgomery) was asleep at the time of the fire,” said Mr. Addison. “He was lucky to get out.”
The Gore Bay Fire Department is noted for fast response times, but the exceptional speed of arrival for this fire is credited to the fact that the firefighters had just returned from another call when they received the callout for this fire. “We had just got back so all we had to do was to get our jackets back on,” said Mr. Addison. “It was pretty quick.”
Sadly, Mr. Montgomery’s cat is believed to have perished in the fire.
Link to original article on wellingtonadvertiser.com: Centre Wellington battle first 2020 fire on New Year’s day