Early morning fire devastates Sarnia, Ont. heritage home
Residents are in shock after an early morning fire engulfed a heritage home on Christina Street in Sarnia.
Just after 7 a.m. on Friday, Sarnia fire crews responded to a heritage home located on Christina Street.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Ken Dwinell, the structure was “fully involved” by flames by the time fire crews arrived on scene, so fire crews at first attacked the blaze from the inside, but later took a defensive approach and attacked the blaze from the outside.
Firefighters had dificulting accessing the laze from above through the attic due to the building being outfitted with a steel roof years ago. This made the blaze stubborn, and nearly impossible to get water into the roof of the structure.
The building on the corner of Christina and Maxwell streets was well known in the community.
“Just the loss. It was a beautiful building inside and out,” said Melinda DeVries. “It used to be my insurance company back in the day. The devastation. I can't even imagine what the owners are going through.”
Crews are on scene of a structure fire on Christina Street N in Sarnia on June 9, 2023. (Source: Sarnia Fire Rescue)
Te building had been vacant for approximately 18 months and was currently under construction. Markus Henne, who owns a nearby jewelry store, was shocked when cycling to work.
“Coming through the hotel parking lot, I'd see the smoke billowing up, and I didn't know what was going on. And then I come around the corner and see all these fire trucks and I thought, ‘Oh, my God.’ And that was my parents place,” he said.
The fire did not spread to any other buildings, and no one was inside at the time of the fire.
Christine Street, between Nelson Street and London Road remains closed at this time.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, and a damage estimate is still unknown.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.