The Fire Chief for Prince Edward County Fire & Rescue has released a statement on the recent string of fires that have taken place in Picton this week.
Beginning on Tuesday night, fire crews were called out to a house fire in Picton on Albert Street.
There was significant damage to the home but fortunately there were no injuries to humans or pets.
Estimated damages are estimated at $500,000.
The next day, firefighters were called out shortly before 8 o’clock Wednesday night to a home at 12 Inkerman Avenue, near Base31 in Picton, after a neighbour noticed the exterior of the two-storey home was engulfed.
No injuries were reported in that blaze and damage is estimated at $300,000.
On Friday, fire crews were again called to Picton, this time for a structure fire on York Street.
Fire Chief Chad Brown confirmed that three fires, as well as a water rescue, took place this week. He says there is no correlation between any of the fire incidents and that there is no community risk.
He is reminding residents to have working smoke alarms and to properly dispose of smoking materials and completely extinguish cigarette butts.
You can read the full statement below:
Prince Edward County Fire & Rescue has experienced a busy week. There have been three structure fires and a water rescue that have included many of our responders. I want to confirm that there is no correlation between the fires this week and any further community risk.
Our firefighters have performed exceptionally well at these incidents, and I thank them for their dedication to our service delivery and community wellbeing.
We have received information that one of the properties involved in this week’s fires may have had working smoke alarms. While it is positive news that the occupants would have been alerted to the fire and had time to escape, we can’t stress enough the importance of ensuring that all occupancies have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
I also wish to address further community fire risks and remind everyone to ensure they properly dispose of smoking materials and completely extinguish cigarette butts. Smoking continues to be a leading cause of fires in the County.
Further fire safety information can be found on the County website.