The Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire on Domtar Rd. in Huntsville just before 10:30 p.m. last night.
Crews from Huntsville Station 1 with assistance from Port Sydney Station 3 arrived on scene to flames coming out of the second story. Frigid temperatures and limited access to water made it difficult for firefighters to get ahead of the fire. Tankers from Lake of Bays and Bracebridge were called in to assist with water shuttle.
Firefighters battled the blaze for three hours. A partial collapse had made conditions unsafe for firefighters to access. An excavator was brought in to create an opening to access hot spots.
The damage is estimated at approximately $450,000. There were no injuries. The investigation into the origin, cause and circumstances are ongoing.
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The house was over 100 years old I doubt any fire department would have been able to save it. I lived in that house with my mother and father for many years. My father Roger was still living there when it burnt down.
Yes lots of frustrations when we are in a panic mode and a minute seems like hours! Some points to consider! A fire will double in size every 3 minutes and sometimes less considering the fuel load! Detection time, being from point/time of ignition. Time lost because of confusion on the person/persons reactions to a crisis. This all happens, place the call, goes through the paging system, FD personnel respond to hall, obtain location, it is all very time consuming! By the looks of the involvement and progression of the picture up top it had a big foot hole which greatly lessons the chance of a save! One point and the most important, GET OUT AND STAY OUT! You are not replaceable! Have a safe day Wayne, and the first responders of our community and all the front line workers out there!
Saved another basement! Will we ever be able to afford a full-time fire department? No-fault on our fantastic volunteer firefighters but sad to see this home burn to the ground. We had a chimney fire 30 years ago, called it in, I live about 4 minutes from the fire hall and they arrived over 30 minutes later. So fortunate it stayed contained to the chimney or else our home would have been gone. Keep up the great work volunteers, thank you so much.
Be safe there boys. Thank you to all the first responders and those making it work out there