‘Ottawa’ Gatineau Firefighters Demolish Home to Extinguish Blaze
Gatineau firefighters had to demolish a semi-detached home in Buckingham on Sunday to put out a stubborn blaze that caused $300,000 damage.
The occupants had left 20 minutes before the fire broke out, but a neighbour in front of the house called 911 after they saw flames shooting from the roof.
The home backs onto a wooded area, so no one saw the fire as it started in the back before it spread to the vinyl siding and into the roof and the adjoining home.
When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting from the roof and from the back of the two semi-detached homes.
Firefighters couldn’t battle the blaze from the inside of the home because the second floor had collapsed and the back wall was collapsing so they used equipment to demolish the house to get to the fire.
The Gatineau Fire Department believed the fire was caused by either a barbecue or a cigarette that wasn’t extinguished property.