Cats die in morning fire on King Street

A house on the 400 block of King Street West is now uninhabitable following a fire late Friday morning.

Chief Fire Prevention Officer Randy Vezina says although it only took fire crews two minutes to arrive on the scene the fire had already spread.

“The call came in at 10:53 this morning and it was phoned in by a mail tenant who advised that there was a fire in the kitchen,” explains Vezina.

“We had our first truck on scene at 10:55 am and there were flames visible at the front of the house. Firefighters advanced attack lines into the home and were confronted with the entire western half of the first story in flames.”

Vezina says the crews eventually knocked down the fire and that there were no injuries and the family dog made it out.

“However, there were two pet cats that died in the fire,” he confirms.

“Damage is estimated at approximately $140,000 and the damage is such that they won’t be able to live there until there is a complete restoration of the building.”

The fire is likely to be ruled accidental as the cause was traced back to the stovetop where the tenant had been cooking chicken fingers in oil.