“Unfortunately the house is a total loss,” said Clarington Fire.
The residents were able to escape unarmed and were checked out by Durham Paramedics after escaping the fire, the cause of which remains undetermined.
Chief Mariano Perini says Clarington Fire has combated five structure fires around the municipality this year. “With this latest fire in Courtice, we were able to tactically perform an aggressive attack because the homeowner was safe,” he said.
“There’s no doubt that smoke alarms are key to detecting fire early. They save lives. They protect your family by providing advance warning of smoke and fire in your home so that you have time to escape safely,” he continued.
Crews fought another fire on January 13 originating in the home’s kitchen. Resident discovered the fire when they got home finding the kitchen ablaze and their alarms beeping.
Clarington Fire was on scene with five trucks and 21 firefighters and quickly extinguished the fire they believe was electrical in origin.
Two days earlier crews battled a fire in Quonset hut in Newcastle. Four stations were activated sending eight trucks and 30 firefighters to respond to the fire.
No one was harmed in either fire.
“It’s important that we are aware and take every precaution to keep our loved ones, pets and homes safe. Every home must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. It’s the law. Test your alarms each month to ensure they’re working and change the batteries in the spring and fall,” Perini concluded.