Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal's office were unable to pinpoint the exact cause of a blaze that gutted a home in Virgil early Sunday morning.
“They have completed their investigation and the results are inconclusive, Niagara-on-the-Lake fire Chief Rob Grimwood said Monday. “But they have pinpointed the place of origin to the garage.”
Firefighters were called to the scene of the fire on Annmarie Drive at about 1:30 a.m. following calls about a house fire.
"I was the first to arrive, and the house was already completely engulfed in fire," said Chief Rob Grimwood of the two-storey home. "Fortunately, everyone inside had already gotten out."
Grimwood said a man, a woman and at least one child were inside the house when the fire broke out.
"The dog started barking in a pretty alarming fashion, so they got to see what was going on," Grimwood said. "They looked downstairs, and they could see the smoke. The house was already on fire."
He said the smoke alarms went on moments later and the family escaped the house.
By the time fire crews arrived, the fire had begun to spread to two neighbouring houses. Grimwood said upon his arrival, he could see the siding on one house was already on fire, and the home on the other side of the blaze was smoking.
"They are fairly new houses, but they are pretty close together. About 10 feet between houses," he said.
Fire crews focused their efforts on containing the fire and preventing it from spreading. Although the house that was on fire was destroyed, Grimwood said the Niagara-on-the-Lake firefighters were able to save the other two homes, which only had window and siding damage.
“That was our strategy,” Grimwood said. “We focused all our efforts on the neighbouring homes at first and that worked.”
The fire marshal was called in because the damage to the house was greater than $100,000. Grimwood said there is no indication foul play was involved.
Link to original article in Niagara This Week: Fire marshal can’t determine cause of Virgil blaze