Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office were unable to determine the cause of a blaze that swept through an Owen Street townhouse complex early Tuesday.
"They were not able to find any ignition sources so they classified it as undetermined," said Barrie Fire Public Fire and Life Safety Officer Samantha Hoffmann. "But not suspicious. There's nothing to make them think it's suspicious. They just couldn't identify an ignition source."
Only five of the nine units had rental insurance to cover replacement costs of contents and the cleanup.
But even more distressing to Barrie Firefighters is the fact that only three of the nine units were in full compliance with smoke and CO alarm laws.
Because the fire was on the exterior and on the roof, the smoke and heat was going up and hadn't actually gone into the homes to activate the alarms that were there and working.
But Hoffmann says most fatal fires occur between midnight and 6 a.m. when people are at home sleeping and if your smoke alarms aren't working you don't have the early warning.
"You're relying on an insomniac or somebody driving by in the middle of the night or somebody getting up early to go to work and the flames and smoke have already broken through the house in order for them to notify and by that time our chances of getting anybody out alive are very slim."
In this fire, one resident was up getting ready for work, heard something in the backyard and saw the fence was on fire.
Hoffmann says he grabbed a fire extinguisher thinking he could extinguish that blaze but then realized smoke and flames were coming out of the soffit and eaves of the house.
"He woke up someone to call 911 and then he ran around knocking on all the doors to alert people to the fire," Hoffmann said. "It was 5:38 in the morning, so given the lack of smoke alarms and if that guy hadn't had to get up early in the morning to go to work, it could've been a very different situation."
About twenty people escaped the blaze grabbing their pets and little else.
No one was injured and losses are estimated at over $500,000.
The scene has been released back to the owner's insurance company which will now determine whether some of the units can be occupied.
Hoffmann says the fire underscores some crucial lessons — the importance of smoke alarms and tenant insurance.
"It's the owner's responsibility to provide and maintain the smoke and CO alarms but it's the tenant's responsibility to notify the owner if they are not working or missing or damaged or out of date. Both had a role," said Hoffmann.
The Red Cross is providing temporary shelter for three days for the displaced tenants.
