SHUNIAH, Ont. - Firefighters in Shuniah were kept busy battling a late night fire that destroyed a Wild Goose Bay Road home but fortunately did not result in any injuries.
Crews received a 911 call at approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday evening of smoke inside a home, which turned out to be a fully engulfed house fire when crews arrived on the scene.
“There were two residents at home at the time and they were able to self-evacuate and call 911,” said Shuniah Fire and Emergency Services fire chief, Blair Arthur. “No one was hurt and everyone was safe and accounted for.”
Fire crews quickly attacked the fire in order to save nearby residences that were in close proximity to the blaze.
“It was an aggressive attack from our fire department,” Arthur said. “There were some very close exposures to the residences, which we focused on so we could make sure they were safe. We were able to keep the fire at bay and right where it started.”
This is the second house fire in the Lakeshore Drive area in the past month and while fire crews don’t see many house fires, it’s not uncommon at this time of year, according to Arthur.
“We don’t really get that many house fires, but we are prepared for when they do happen,” he said. “We’ve had fires in the past where they come back to back like this when it gets cold out.”
A total of 24 Shuniah firefighters responded to the scene, as well as crews from Pass Lake Fire, East Gorham Fire, and Thunder Bay Fire Rescue.
There is no word yet on the cause of the fire.
Arthur is reminding all residents to have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors inside the home.
