12:15 a.m. update:
Barrie Police Service has issued the following release on the Essa Road house fire.
The Barrie Police Investigative Services is seeking the public’s assistance following a structure fire on Essa Road, in the City of Barrie.
On Saturday, March 17, 2018, Barrie Police and Fire responded to a home on Essa Road that had been engulfed in flames, just before 4 p.m. The property has been vacant for some time and was unoccupied at the time of the blaze.
The incident was deemed suspicious and the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office was notified. A parallel investigation was commenced and has since led investigators to obtaining evidence from within the home, which is believed to have been a contributing factor to the blaze.
Four youths had been observed running from the premise when the fire broke out. Witnesses have provided Investigators with several pictures of these individuals.
At this time police are encouraging these youths to speak with their parents/guardians and obtain legal counsel and contact police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Barrie Police Criminal Investigative Services at 705-725-7025, ext. 2129, or to remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or leave an anonymous tip online
Original story: 4:50 p.m.
A fire at an Essa Road house on Saturday is being investigated as suspicious and will be looked into for any possible arson.
Approximately 20 firefighters battled a blaze and later hot spots in the Essa and Coughlin area as an abandoned house burned Saturday afternoon.
Christiaan Ter Stege, an Investigator with the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM), was on scene Sunday gathering information on the cause of the fire.
“The was a fire that occurred at the residence yesterday afternoon and, based on what the firefighters saw inside, they then contacted the Barrie police,” said Ter Stege. “The building is unoccupied and is slated for demolition for a new condo development in the area which is why the structure was vacant.
"Being an empty building with a fire breaking out, we do look at it being suspicious, but then we come in and take a good look at all the evidence.”
The OFMEM will be on scene throughout the day under the watchful eye of Barrie police who are present whenever circumstances are deemed suspicious.
An in-depth look by Ter Stege will be done as every aspect of the structure is meticulously investigated.
“My investigation is to determine the origin cause and circumstances of the fire, find out where it started and find out the causes for that,” said Ter Stege. “We haven’t determined the cause yet but we’re still in the initial stages and it is quite a careful process.
"We start around the exterior and move towards the interior looking for the most fire damage and seeing what potential initial sources are there and we then rule those out until we find the root of the cause; we can never determine how long we’ll be on-site as we will be here until we can figure this out.”
