GUELPH/ERAMOSA – A fire at a Guelph/Eramosa home this afternoon engulfed a garage and started spreading into the house before firefighters could stop it.
The owner of the home, located on Highway 7 between Wellington Road 29 and 3rd Line, southwest of Rockwood, was inside the house when he smelled smoke coming from the attached garage.
When he investigated, he saw flames. The man was not injured but went to hospital for monitoring, Rockwood fire captain Mike Smits told the Advertiser.
Rockwood, Puslinch and Centre Wellington firefighters responded to the call at about 12:40pm, with a total of 11 trucks and almost 30 firefighters on scene.
Smits said when they got there, the garage was fully engulfed in flames.
“We stretched our hoses and extinguished,” he said, and the fire was under control by 1:01pm.
The fire was mostly contained to the garage, but did spread a couple metres into the house and attic, Smits said.
Fire crews cleared the scene around 2:45pm, after dealing with any spots that could reignite.
Smits said seven trucks and 15 firefighters came from Rockwood – pretty much the entire station.
Puslinch and Centre Wellington showed up with an additional two trucks each and about a dozen more firefighters to supply extra water and support.
Smits said it’s too early to tell the cause of the fire.
As for the damage, “for sure the garage is a total loss. Is the house reparable? I really don’t know.”
