The cause of a fire that tore through an abandoned house in Thorold Monday afternoon is not yet known, but it has been deemed suspicious.
At about 3:25 p.m., trucks from all three Thorold fire halls were called to the house at the southwest corner of Ormond Street North and St. David Street East — directly across the street from Thorold Secondary School.
Fire Chief Terry Dixon said when the first of the six trucks to respond got to the scene the fire was burning strong.
“It was pretty much involved when the first truck came,” he said. “Lots of flames, lots of smoke when firefighters arrived.”
It took firefighters about an hour to get the blaze under control, though as of 4:30 p.m. Dixon said he expected firefighters would remain on the scene for quite some time to ensure hot spots are fully extinguished.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but given the fact the building was unoccupied, the fire has been deemed suspicious.
“It’s an abandoned building,” Dixon said.
“The building will have to come down for safety reasons.”
Niagara Regional Police were called to the scene, responding with a canine unit. An email from media relations said police are investigating the cause and are searching for a possible suspect or suspects seen in the area.
Police are also assisting firefighters as needed.