A fire on Pearl Street West Tuesday morning has left at least six people displaced.
At about 7:40 a.m., fire crews were called to 46 Pearl Street West for a house fire, between Buell Street and William Street.
“It’s a two-storey, semi-detached residential unit, right beside the Quickie,” said Deputy Fire Chief Chris Paul. “It appears that the fire originated in the eastern unit on the second floor, and fire crews prevented spread into the second unit.”
According to Paul there were no injuries, but at least six people have been displaced from the home.
Victim Services was on scene and was in the process of finding hotel rooms for the displaced residents.
Details surrounding the cause of the fire are not being released at this time, as there is an active investigation underway by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office.
In a message to The Recorder and Times, Brockville police Insp. Darryl Boyd said officers were securing the scene during the Fire Marshal’s investigation. He added that, while police had not yet identified anything to confirm whether or not the fire is suspicious.
“In any investigation, the circumstances are treated as suspicious until investigative avenues are exhausted in attempting to determine any cause, criminality or lack thereof,” police added in a statement Wednesday. “This investigation is being reviewed as such and information regarding any criminality or accidental cause will be disclosed, if determined.”
Police noted this is “the third significant structure fire, within the previous three weeks, in our community.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 20, a fire at 95 Windsor Drive claimed the life of an 88-year-old woman, a tragedy that also displaced numerous people and has led to an appeal for donations.
A week later, on Aug. 27, three people were forced out of their home by a fire on Bennett Street.
As a result of this most recent fire, Pearl Street was closed for the majority of the day Tuesday between Buell Street and William Street, forcing Brockville drivers to take detours on their morning commutes.
“We had approximately 15 firefighters on scene, and three vehicles,” said Paul. “We had a suppression team on site for the afternoon to assist with the Fire Marshal’s investigation.”
It remains unclear how long the Ontario Fire Marshal’s investigation will last, but it will be up to that office to disclose the cause of the fire, officials said.