A stick of incense is to blame for a fire that caused $100,000 worth of damage to a Bradford West Gwillimbury townhouse on Wednesday morning, says Fire Chief Kevin Gallant.
Someone was home at the time of the fire, but no one was injured, he said.
“(Firefighters) encountered thick, black smoke right down to the floor level with zero visibility. The windows had to be ventilated to control the fire,” Gallant said.
The blaze on Harmony Circle, between Holland Street West and Magani Avenue, started around 11 a.m. in an area between a second-floor bedroom and bathroom, but it did not spread to the roof, he added.
“It didn’t get through the drywall sealant. We got lucky there,” Gallant said. “The crews, they did a great job. If that fire had gotten into the roof, it could’ve been very much worse” and spread to other townhouse units.
Gallant said the accidental cause of the fire is being attributed to incense that had not fully been extinguished and came in contact with other combustibles in the bathroom.
The family that lives there is now “displaced,” but they have tenants insurance and are making arrangements for a place to stay, he said.
The home had working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and 13 firefighters — as well as a crew on a pumper truck from New Tecumseth there as backup — were able to quickly knock down the flames, Gallant said.
However, there is “extensive fire damage” to the second-floor bedroom and bathroom, as well as smoke and water damage throughout the home, he said.
“It will probably be a fairly significant gut of the unit.”
