Wainfleet fire second to destroy house in two days
Wainfleet Fire and Emergency Services battled subzero temperatures for the second time in as many days as they fought a house fire early Thursday morning.
Firefighters were called to 11473 Moore Rd. N., south of Highway 3, at 2:15 a.m. for report of a fullyinvolved house fire.
As they neared the scene, firefighters reported seeing flames from Highway 3. The home is located at the south end of Moore Road, a dead-end road. Flames could also be seen from the area of Highway 3 and Rathfon Road.
Wainfleet called on mutual aid from both Haldimand County and Port Colborne fire departments in the form of manpower and tanker trucks to help fight the fire in the extreme cold conditions. It was at least –17 C at the time of the fire.
Tanker trucks from all three fire services filled up by the fire hall on Park Street in the township and in Port Colborne from a fire hydrant in front of B&C Auto on Highway 3. They relayed the water from those locations to the fire scene.
Both Port Colborne and Haldimand County crews were cleared from the scene at 3:50 a.m.
Wainfleet reported the fire knocked down at 4:01 a.m. when firefighters were beginning overhaul operations on the two-storey home.
Wainfleet’s interim fire chief, Lee Smith said the home is too damaged to be able to accurately pinpoint a cause of the blaze, but he suspects the fire may have been an accidental electrical fire.
He warned residents to be extra vigilant when using things such as extension cords and space heaters at this time of the year. He said extension cords should be avoided for heating units and should not be placed near combustible materials. Heaters should be turned off when not in a room and used only as directed.
He also stressed that residents have working smoke alarms. It is undetermined at this time if the single resident of the Moore Road home had any.
The home’s occupant was assessed by paramedics on scene, but was released, Smith said.
There is no damage estimate at this time.
The house was torn down during the day Thursday,
Wainfleet also fought a house fire in freezing conditions on Boxing Day on Misener Road, between Highway 3 and Wilford Road. That fire also saw assistance provided by Port Colborne, Haldimand and Pelham firefighters. No cause has been given for that fire, which saw the unoccupied home torn down Wednesday afternoon.
Because of these back-to-back fires, Smith noted that the fire crews are exhausted and are recuperating.
In the case of both fires, responding crews were fortunate to avoid injuries despite layers of ice on the ground. Smith commended his team for their hard work.