Family dog dies in townhouse fire that it may have started

A fire destroyed a townhouse at 1470 Jalna Boulevard on Friday, November 1, 2024 (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

The London Fire Department said a blaze that destroyed a south London townhouse Friday may have been caused by a dog left home alone.

“With large dogs, they’re going to jump up, and so the main thing is no food left on the stove,” remarked Platoon Chief Kirk Loveland at the scene.

Loveland said crews responded to 1470 Jalna Boulevard around 11:30 a.m. He said when they arrived a fire was fully involved in one of the townhouse units.

“There was smoke showing and heavy fire conditions in the unit. They immediately went into an offensive strategy and attacked the fire. They were able to conduct search and rescue operations on the upper levels and made sure it was all clear. Then they had to knock the fire down on the main level before they could get in and search that area, and unfortunately, a dog perished in the fire,” said Loveland.

No people were home at the time of the fire. Loveland says the family who lives in the unit arrived to find it ablaze. It is believed that the dog went after food left on the stove, and somehow accidentally managed to switch the appliance on.

“It’s quite possible that some food was left on the oven, and there was a dog in the house. So, when you leave, the dog is going to jump up on there on possibly turn the stove on. And I’ve seen that happen before - so, the dog probably caused the fire,” explained Loveland.

Loveland said the unit was destroyed. At this time there’s been no estimate on the value of the damage.