Vacant house in Cape Wolfe burns

CAPE WOLFE – A vacant house in Cape Wolfe was already fully engulfed when the O’Leary and West Point fire departments arrived on the scene shortly after 1 a.m. Friday.

It was a blemish on an otherwise quiet Halloween night on P.E.I.

O’Leary Fire Chief Ron Phillips got the call for the house fire in Cape Wolfe at 1:03 a.m. Until then, Phillips said his department had not “turned a wheel”.

Based on how far advanced the fire was when they arrived, he estimates it was probably burning for an hour before anyone noticed.

O’Leary Fire Department responded with four trucks and 17 firefighters while West Point arrived with two trucks and 12 firefighters.

Despite their combined efforts, the house ultimately burned to the ground.

Although the house is believed to have been vacant for many years, Phillips said the property and yard had been well-maintained.

The department had not determined the property’s owner by the deadline.

The RCMP is treating the fire as an arson investigation. The provincial fire marshal’s office dispatched a fire investigator to the scene.

Both fire departments left some of their firefighters and infrastructure at their halls in case other calls were received, but the rest of the night remained quiet.

Const. Steve Monkley with Prince District RCMP said the Cape Wolfe fire and a driver charged with impaired driving on Lennox Island were the major incidents members responded to on Halloween night.

Kensington police chief Louis Sutherland said Halloween was quiet there.

“No problems at all.” Sutherland said officers arrested one individual on a warrant and dealt with a complaint unrelated to Halloween.

The rain, he suggested, resulted in fewer children out trick-or-treating than normal, “but the ones who were out were well-behaved,” he added.

Sgt. Jason Blacquiere with Summerside City Police described Halloween night as quiet with no unusual incidents to report.

The RCMP in Kings and Queens counties, as well as Charlottetown Police Services, said there were no major incidents in their areas.