FERGUS – Fergus and Elora firefighters responded to a house fire on Rea Drive in Fergus early on Sunday morning.
Deputy fire chief Jonathan Karn said neighbours noticed smoke coming from one of six connected townhouse units on the street and called 911 at around 4am on March 6.
Karn said the smoke alarm in the unit was working but the homeowner slept through it.
She was awakened by neighbours banging on her door and escaped without injury.
“We saw a little bit of fire on the shingles when we arrived, so we put firefighters on the roof,” Karn said.
Further investigation found a small fire in the attic and fire coming from the second level bathroom ceiling.
“We had to open the ceiling and remove a good quantity of insulation,” Karn added. Firefighters also cut off hydro to the unit.
No one was injured in a house fire early on March 6. A lightning strike is believed to be the cause. Submitted photo.
Because attic spaces are often connected in townhouses, all six units were evacuated as a precaution.
Thankfully the night was mild – about 10 degrees Karn said – so the homeowners were comfortable enough and remained outside for about two hours until the fire was out.
“Everyone was allowed back inside when we left, except for the affected unit,” he said.
He added the affected homeowner was to stay with a friend until she could get in touch with her insurance company on Monday.
Karn said he believes the fire was caused by a lightning strike.
He said there was a hole in the roof and he himself had been awakened by a crack of thunder that was close enough to make his windows rattle.
“And about 10 minutes later, my pager went off,” he said.
Karn did not immediately have a damage estimate.
