Investigators are probing the scene of a major fire at Stonegate Crescent in Frankford on Thursday around 12:35 which destroyed two homes and damaged two other homes nearby. SUBMITTED PHOTO JPG, BI
FRANKFORD – The Ontario Fire Marshall’s office has been called in to investigate a blaze that gutted one home, seriously damaged another and caused smoke damage to two others nearby in Quinte West Thursday.
Investigators were expected to be on scene Friday to sift through the burned-out shells of two homes at the end of a cul de sac on Stonegate Crescent in Frankford.
Quinte West firefighters arrived on scene around 12:35 p.m. Thursday in time to stop the fire raging in two homes from spreading to two others.
There were no reported injuries.
Fire Chief John Whelan said a dog was saved from the second home that caught fire after firefighters pulled the pooch from the flames.
“They knocked the door down and saved a bulldog,” he said.
Early estimates suggest damage will surpass the $1 million mark, Whelan said.
“Damage was over $1 million, that’s why the Ontario Fire Marshall was called.”
The blaze prompted a team of 32 firefighters to respond, said Whelan.
A natural gas line explosion, meanwhile, in the backyard of one of the homes was also a going concern.
“We had a gas line that exploded in the back,” Whelan said, noting it was brought under control.
Victim Services of Hastings, Prince Edward, Lennox and Addington Counties were asked to intervene in the aftermath of the fire to help residents of the damaged homes cope.
The Canadian Red Cross Society is also assisting.
Link to original article on intelligencer.ca: Major blaze damages four homes in Frankford