Dog dies in Wentworth North shipping container fire
Property owner faces bylaw charges and ongoing investigation
A dog has died in an earlymorning fire in a shipping container at a Wentworth Street North property where police and bylaw busted a pop-up scrap metal business last month.
Hamilton police were called to 468 Wentworth St. N. shortly before 1 a.m. on Wednesday to help the Hamilton Fire Department, who extinguished a fire involving shipping containers on the property.
Three people were assessed on scene, but did not require medical treatment. A dog was killed in the fire, police said.
The fire was not arson. However,
there was evidence of people living in some of the containers, which is now being investigated by Hamilton bylaw.
Hamilton Fire said the blaze was contained to just one of five shipping containers on the property. It was quickly knocked down.
Damage is estimated around $5,000. The suspected cause was an overheated cable connected to batteries within the container, where it appeared people were living.
Police attempted to contact the property owner overnight, but he did not attend the scene, said Const. Jerome Stewart.
This is the same property where police executed a warrant on April 16. Police teamed up with bylaw officers who laid provincial offences charges against the property owner.
At that time, police allegedly found 14 people living on the property, along with evidence of drug use and $10,000 worth of what police believe are stolen goods. Three people found on the site were arrested on outstanding warrants and another man was charged with breaching a court condition.
Hamilton bylaw charged the property owner with multiple provincial offences, including for continuing to operate a nonessential business under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, two licensing charges for operating without a business licence and six yard maintenance charges.
The property had been the source of many complaints by neighbours and social services agencies, including Mission Services, who reported being told women were paying to sleep in containers on the site.
Anyone with information can call the Hamilton police division one staff sergeant’s office at 905-546-4725.