Sarnia fire inspectors handed a heavily damaged downtown home near city hall back to the uninjured owners Thursday afternoon after determining the overnight blaze that caused $250,000 in damage was accidental.
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Mike Otis, a Sarnia Fire Rescue spokesperson, said crews left the scene at 327 Christina St. N. shortly before 2 pm
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“We’re totally wrapped up there,” he said.
The cause of the quarter-million-dollar blaze was undetermined, but it’s considered accidental and not suspicious, Otis said.
Firefighters from four stations responded after the call came in around 11:30 pm Wednesday.
“The two people inside got out and we saved their cat,” Otis said.
Crews got the blaze under control shortly before 2 am, he added. In the meantime, they had to battle to keep it from spreading to 329 Christina St. N, a neighboring home with exposed wood less than two meters away.
“The crews did a really good job of spraying down the house next to it and preventing that,” he said.
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A Harvey’s restaurant on the other side of the house was also undamaged.
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With fire investigators gone, the owners are permitted to go back inside but the home is badly damaged, he said.
“Nobody will be living there anytime soon,” Otis said. “It’s got a lot of damage.”
The house’s green roof was visibly damaged from Christina Street.
A Sarnia police spokesperson said they only helped overnight with traffic control. Police posted an aerial photo of the blaze on social media shortly before midnight and asked the public to avoid the area as roads were closed at the time.
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