Su Murdoch's dramatic photographs of the fire engulfing the old Lake Simcoe Motel show how frightening this week's blaze was for her and husband Harry Laur.
Their 1849 heritage home sits directly behind the vacant Blake Street motel and two suspicious fires in less than a week have left them rattled.
"I want the fires to stop and the arsonist caught," said Murdoch, who admits they slept through the first fire which occurred at 3 a.m. Aug. 4 in two smaller buildings.
But they woke up to witness the smoke, flames and fire fight of a second blaze that broke out less than a week later in the main two-storey building around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
"I heard a banging sound like someone banging on a door," recalled Laur. "I got up and when I looked out all I could see was fire trucks. And flames would shoot up."
Murdoch says she could feel the heat of the blaze that also scorched a grove of trees separating the two properties.
Everything is tinder dry due to the heat wave and the fires are too close for comfort.
"They know it's arson so the fear is what's coming next?" asked an anxious Murdoch.
As area residents wait and worry, crews were back at the motel Thursday to clean up the site to prepare for demolition according to the company hired for the job.
Luis Silva, of Chico Contracting, said he was hired by the owner who does not want to comment at this time.
"The objective here is to clean everything up, board everything up and make it safe," said Silva, who expected the messy, smelly job would take about six hours.
Silva says the owner is dealing with the Fire Marshal about the future of the site and what buildings will be demolished.
The city says it can't provide details on this specific Property Standards Investigation but Murdoch, who is a heritage consultant, says the burned structures will have to come down.
"The state they're in, there's no option," she said. "It's unsafe."
Murdoch says she deals with derelict, abandoned buildings all the time so living next to the vacant, boarded up motel for the past five years never bothered her - until the fires.
The Fire Marshal was called in and Barrie Police say a criminal investigation is underway.
Barrie Fire investigators declared the first blaze an arson after finding numerous ignition points and the second fire is classified as suspicious at this time.
