A family stood in disbelief Monday evening as they watched their garage and two cars erupting in flames only minutes after a stranger barged into their home and then abruptly left without warning.
Shortly after 8 p.m., Sue Kimble and her grandson David Kimble were sitting in their home at 94 West Moira Street when a man walked unannounced through their front door and enquired about buying items outside on a table.
The stranger then turned and left before fire broke out minutes later on the west side of their home.
David said it was a surreal experience given the creepy encounter and the breakout of the fire soon afterward.
“He came through my door asking to buy some stuff on the tabletop counter and the next thing I knew — probably two minutes later – somebody [else] knocks on the door saying there was fire, my car was on fire,” Kimble told The Intelligencer as Belleville firefighters went to work putting out the fire at the foot of West Moira Street hill at Wallbridge Crescent.
Kimble said he, his father and grandmother got out of the house safely.
Two of their four cats, Sasha and Bug, were reported as safe last evening after being rescued by firefighters to cheers from the crowd gathered across the street.
Grandmother Sue was tearing up watching flames destroy two cars in their garage, the outside of their home as well as the siding off an adjacent home at 5 Wallbridge Crescent.
Sue questioned the mental disposition of their unwelcomed visitor.
“I just feel sorry for people out there. We need some help on mental issues and he [the stranger] did have issues because he came right in our door, he walked right in,” she said at the scene.
The family was told by neighbours they saw a man near the garage shortly before the fire broke out.
Belleville resident Mike Benson happened upon the scene with dozens of other onlookers as the fire raged amid tire explosions rippling through the neighbourhood.
“I got here and it was just totally engulfed. Tires were blowing, and people were scattering,” Benson said standing a safe distance away from the fire as dark black smoke billowed upwards.
“You could see the tires blowing up in the air.”
Deputy Fire Chief Mark Shannon said firefighters were quickly on the scene only a block away from Fire Station 2.
A call for assistance came into Belleville Fire and Emergency Services at 8:24 p.m.
“The garage contained two vehicles and the fire extended to the houses on each side. Firefighters have the fire under control,” said Shannon at the time of the blaze.
“Investigators will be en route to determine a cause. There are no injuries,” he said, confirming two family pets were rescued by firefighters.
One black and white cat could be seen in the safe clutches of a city firefighter donning the number 56 exiting the blaze.
Full day for city firefighters
Monday evening’s strange blaze was the second fire city firefighters put down in Belleville on the same day.
Deputy Chief Shannon said earlier around 4:39 p.m., firefighters were called out to a house fire in the 100 block of Summit Crescent.
Quick action “limited damage to the exterior wall and attic area of the residence with some siding melted on the house next to the structure fire,” Shannon said.
“Hastings Quinte EMS attended to check over the occupants of the residents including an infant who escaped on their own. There were no injuries.”
A fire investigator was on scene of the earlier fire to determine a cause.