Barrie fire investigators are probing a mid-morning blaze in the city’s south end, Monday, not far from a pair of significant fires in the area last month.
Firefighters responded to a home at 98 Chieftain Cres., around 11 a.m., for reports of smoke in the house.
At the height of the basement fire there were nine trucks at the scene, located off Little Avenue between Bayview Drive and Fairview Road.
There were no injuries and everyone was able to evacuate from the home, according to fire officials.
At the scene, fire prevention officer Jeff Holmyard, a certified fire and explosion inspector, told BarrieToday that most of the damage was contained to the basement.
“Structural damage was limited to the furnace room,” he said, “but there was cosmetic damage more or less throughout the house.
“There is smoke damage in varying degrees throughout (the home),” Holmyard added prior to entering the home for a closer inspection.
Holmyard was preparing to enter the house alongside a restoration specialist, Monday afternoon, to have a better look at the structural integrity of the home.
Investigators announced Monday afternoon that the fire was caused by materials falling onto the sump pump, preventing it from operating properly.
Fire officials urge people to check their sump pumps often and the keep the around it clear.
Monday’s blaze is the third serious fire in the neighbourhood in the last few months.
On April 23, more than 60 people were left homeless from 25 units following a devastating fire at 100 Little Ave.
Cleanup continues at that scene as work crews salvage and place people’s belongings in storage containers placed in the parking lot.
Damage to the Little Avenue apartment structure, which was built in 1989, has been estimated at $2.5 million plus an additional $500,000 for its contents.
The cause of that fire was ruled undetermined, although not suspicious, and the structural integrity of the building has prevented further investigation. It remains to be seen whether the structure can be saved.
On April 6, firefighters battled at blaze in a 12-unit apartment complex at 62 Little Ave. No one was injured, but there was significant damage.
