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Capt. Stuart Taylor of the Brantford Fire Department looks at damage inside an abandoned house at 88 Birkett Lane in Brantford. BRIAN THOMPSON / THE EXPOSITOR
A Brantford fire department crew remained on scene Tuesday morning following an overnight fire that heavily damaged an abandoned house at 88 Birkett Lane.
Deputy Fire Chief Todd Binkley said the call came in just after 1:30 a.m., and crews arrived to find a structure fire with heavy smoke and flames.
A defensive attack was initiated after crews determined no one was inside the house, and the fire was brought under control.
Binkley said the roof received “significant damage” as a result of the blaze, and estimated the damage to be at least $100,000.
He said he was unable to confirm reports that a homeless person was living in the house at the time but was not injured in the fire.
Birkett Lane, between Erie Avenue and River Road, was closed for a period of time Tuesday morning, while River Road was closed at Baldwin Avenue.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Link to original article on brantfordexpositor.ca: Abandoned house on Birkett Lane burns