A Barrie family has the keen eyes of neighbours to thank for reporting a fire spotted on the back deck of their south-end Barrie home.
Barrie Fire and Emergency Service received multiple 911 calls around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24 about the fire which was spotted on the back deck of a home located at 49 Lamont Cres., near Ardagh Road and Mapleton Avenue, confirmed Deputy Chief Carrie Clark.
“We responded with three apparatus and a platoon chief vehicle. When we arrived, the back deck was fully engulfed. We had several 911 calls on it because of the plume of smoke,” she noted, adding crews applied an agent to the fire to extinguish the blaze.
Clark said crews removed two propane tanks from the area as they were close to the fire and getting warm, but that no explosion took place.
Damage to the back exterior of the home was mitigated due to the fact the home is brick, she added.
“Due to the structure of the house, it was less impacted by the exposure to the fire as it was a brick part of the house. If it had been vinyl siding then it would have had a much greater impact,” said Clark, adding the glass sliding doors at the back were only a few minutes away from failing.
The homeowners were not home at the time and a cat located in the home is safe and currently with a neighbour, she noted.
Clark said there are two items in the area where the fire seems to have originated, one being a pool heater, noting they have cited the cause of the fire as being an “electrical malfunction.”
“It was right where in the area of the pool heater, but it would be hard to determine from a distance,” she said.
Damage is currently estimated at about $50,000.
The fire was contained to the home’s back deck and did not spread to any neighbouring properties.
Clark said the fire has been considered accidental.
