Laurentian Valley Twp. – Two fires in the township in less than 48 hours last week displaced five people.
Four adults were forced from their home on Greenwood Road beside Mullen’s Esso Thursday afternoon and an elderly woman lost her home on Achray Road Saturday morning.
All four of the occupants, including two dogs, evacuated the Greenwood Road residence shortly after noticing smoke and flames in the basement around 1:30 p.m. The LV department was dispatched at 1:35 after a passerby reported the fire.
Chief Tim Sutcliffe described the scene as “a challenging job,” with flames rapidly spreading through the spray foam-insulated walls and floor joists, causing heavy smoke and irreparable damage. Despite firefighters’ relentless efforts, the home was declared a total loss, leaving its occupants in need of shelter.
“There was spray foam insulation and that’s why there was so much smoke,” he said.
Flames had just broken out of the bottom east side of the structure and were climbing the exterior wall when firefighters arrived with the first of three trucks.
It continued to smolder for several hours, resulting in heavy smoke damage. Chief Sutcliffe said the damage is beyond repair.
The exact cause of the fire is not known and remains under investigation. Two adults lived on the main floor of the home and two occupied the basement. There were also two pet dogs.
“We hit the initial spot, but then it was in the walls in the back corner and the trouble is, you’ve got that spray foam insulation and it just smokes. Every time you turn around, it’s smoking somewhere else. It was a job.”
The Greenwood Road fire disrupted local traffic for several hours as crews battled the blaze, shuttling water from a hydrant nearly a kilometer away at Home Depot. Assistance from the Ontario Provincial Police ensured firefighter safety and traffic management. The Red Cross stepped in to provide immediate accommodation for the displaced residents.
Just two days later, tragedy struck again when an elderly woman lost her Achray Road home to fire that started in the attached garage. The Petawawa Fire Department responded first because of the location, but when it was discovered the call was in LV, they were dispatched as well. Petawawa firefighters remained on scene to assist the LV crews.
“Being as cold as it was, they stuck around and helped us,” he said. “The two of us battled it for about six hours.”
When firefighters arrived, smoke and flames were exiting from under the door of the attached garage. A neighbour noticed the smoke and alerted the elderly female occupant and she evacuated the building. Chief Sutcliffe said the woman had plugged her vehicle into the block heater, which is believed to have malfunctioned and caused the fire. It spread through the attic of the garage to the house. It was primarily an exterior attack until they got it under control and went inside for the hot spots.
“We had two or three trucks from Petawawa village, we had two trucks from CFB (Garrison) Petawawa, we had our two trucks, all hauling water. We had about seven trucks hauling water altogether.
“The problem was the hatches kept freezing up on them, the brakes froze on another one,” he added. “It was just a hell of a job.”
Chief Sutcliffe said the owner, Sue Raglan, is well known as she and her late husband hosted a large horseshoe tournament each Labour Day weekend at their cottage on Red Rock Road on Round Lake for about two decades.