Firefighters from Meaford, Blue Mountains and the Intertownship Fire Department responded to a house fire Wednesday afternoon in Meaford.
Meaford Fire Chief Courtney Allen says between 26 and 30 firefighters responded to the blaze which broke out around 3:30 p.m. at the house on Louisa Street. Allen says it took less than 4 and a half minutes for the first truck of volunteer firefighters to arrive on scene.
The house suffered heavy damage, though a damage estimate has not been released.
The fire was mostly in the roof and the back of the house and when firefighters arrived on scene it was fully involved, “It had already broken through the roof,” says Allen, who says it’s likely a ‘write off.’ He says fortunately the fire didn’t spread to neighbouring houses.
Allen says the cause is being investigated but notes, it’s not currently considered suspicious.
There were no reports of injuries to firefighters or residents, though Allen says residents were home at the time and managed to escape, “At first we thought we’d lost a cat, but it turns out that they were actually able to save the cat,” says Allen.
He says it was a hot day for firefighters and having the neighbouring departments respond alongside Meaford firefighters enabled them to make use of cooling stations and stay hydrated.
Portions of Louisa Street and Lorne Street were closed while firefighters battled the blaze.
