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'It could've been a lot worse': deputy fire chief

Fire caused by bathroom exhaust fan and spread to attic

A townhouse fire in Barrie’s north end, Tuesday afternoon, could have been a lot worse if not for the presence of working smoke alarms.

Emergency crews responded around 3 p.m. to the scene, located near Bayfield and Livingstone streets.

Deputy Fire Chief Gord Bielby said the lone occupant in the home was upstairs when smoke detectors alerted him to a fire in the bathroom. The bathroom’s exhaust fan had caught fire and spread into the attic.

“He rounded up his dogs and put them in the backyard,” said Bielby, adding the resident then called 911.

Residents reported seeing flames coming from the roof.

Bielby said the resident, who had only recently moved into the townhouse, suffered from minor smoke inhalation, but was otherwise OK.

“He has been checked by paramedics and he’s good,” the deputy fire chief said, adding the pets are also fine.

Bielby credited working smoke detectors as a main reason that damage was kept to a minimum and no one was seriously hurt.

“If he hadn’t been home, who knows? It could've been a lot worse,” he said.

Firefighters had to open up a space in the attic to make sure all of the blaze had been extinguished.

Bielby said it was brought under control quickly, but that firefighters were remain on scene to ensure there were no hotspots.

A portion of Kozlov Street was also closed while firefighters tended to the blaze.