Two more vacant buildings have been destroyed by fire in the south end of Wellington County.
On Dec. 5 at 1:30am the Guelph Fire Department responded to an abandoned workshop fire on Silvercreek Parkway North.
Then, just two hours later, the department was called to an abandoned barn fire on Fife Road.
No injuries were reported at either scene.
“We’re not saying they’re all tied together with those other (fires at) vacant buildings, but they are suspicious and the Fire Marshal is attending,” Guelph Fire Chief John Osborne said.
“So we are working with Guelph Police, OPP, Fire Marshal and Guelph investigators.”
Ontario Fire Marshal representatives were expected to arrive around noon on Dec. 5 to begin the investigation, Osborne said.
“We have not really started the investigation yet, but we have enough (information) that we are calling them suspicious,” he said.
Monday’s fires bring the total number of suspicious vacant structure fires in Guelph and Wellington County over the last two months to six.
The others occurred:
– sometime between Nov. 15 and 17 in an abandoned cabin near Eden Mills:
– Oct. 28 in an unoccupied home on Arkell Road near Nassagaweya-Puslinch Townline in Puslinch;
– Oct. 19 on the Third Line in Guelph-Eramosa; and
– Oct. 14 also on the Third Line in Guelph-Eramosa.
Silvercreek Parkway fire
At the first Dec. 5 fire on Silvercreek Parkway North, on the border of the City of Guelph and Guelph-Eramosa Township, crews arrived on scene and realized there was a house close to the fully-engulfed workshop space.
“Because of the quick attack they first identified the house as a major concern and they (went in) a protection mode of the home, but it’s also vacant, and then they turned their attention to the actual workshop,” Osborne said.
There were about five trucks on scene and the structure was completely destroyed.
The abandoned workshop was not receiving any hydro and both the building and the house were secure and boarded up, Osborne said.
According to a Guelph Police Services press release, the property was owned by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.
Anyone with information is asked to contact D/Cst. Brian Welsh at 519-824-1212 ext. 7345 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at www.csgw.tips.
Fife Road blaze
A passerby reported the second fire at an abandoned barn on Fife Road in Guelph-Eramosa Township on Dec. 5 at about 3:30am, Osborne said.
“It was fully engulfed when crews arrived,” he said. “So it was a defensive fire right off the start.”
Because there was no hydrant system, two Guelph fire trucks were joined by a tanker from Puslinch Fire and Rescue Services to fight the fire.
“The fire was knocked down fairly quick,” Osborne said, but firefighters remained on the scene for several hours to put out “hot spots” because “the fire had collapsed in on itself.”
The barn’s hydro was disconnected but Osborne said it is impossible to tell if people were using the structure until the investigation begins.
Anyone with information about this fire can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at www.csgw.tips.
Police are reminding residents to keep an eye on their properties, lock-up out buildings, vehicles, etc. and if they see suspicious persons or activities – especially at night or in the early morning – call police immediately.
