CORNWALL – One half of a Scarborough couple says they will be looking for another home for their retirement after fire caused extensive damage to their Second Street East house Wednesday morning.
Firefighters were called around 9:30 a.m. to the house at 1006 Second Street East, near Guy Street. A platoon of firefighters was working on scene when a second platoon was being called in for backup around 10:20 a.m.
In an interview with Cornwall Newswatch, the homeowner’s boyfriend said a Good Samaritan on a motorcycle let them know their house was on fire.
“I’m renovating the basement. The idea was, Doris retires and moves back in with me. I live in Scarborough and that was the whole game plan. Somebody on a motorcycle saw flames at the back of the garage, kicked in the front door basically and alerted us to it,” Jeff Levesque told CNW.
Levesque was in disbelief, saying he had just received a shipment of sound barrier for the basement ceilings, which were also consumed by the fire. “Oh well, God’s plan right?”
He said he will move back to Scarborough until he and his girlfriend can find another house in the spring.
“We spent the last two years, we day-tripped from Scarborough every Saturday or Sunday, looking for a house that we liked, had charm, good bones, that we could turn into a retirement home. For her to come up here, it’s like going to the cottage. Because it’s got that country charm and it’s like, now what?” Levesque said.
Fire Chief Pierre Voisine said the fire seemed to have started in a back area of the building and worked its way into the walls and got to the attic. “It seems like it’s a balloon construction so it was a little bit of work for us to find all of the fire. They (the firefighters) did a great job putting it out.”
Fire Prevention Officer Terry Lauzon is on scene this afternoon. “At this point we don’t suspect anything nefarious. There were no injuries,” the chief said.
The Red Cross has helped three people displaced by the fire.
Cornwall-SDG Paramedic Services and the Cornwall Community Police Service are also on scene.
Westbound traffic on Second Street East, between Carleton Street and Guy Street is closed. Eastbound traffic is not affected.
