CORNWALL – The investigation is finished and the cause of a fire, which gutted a South Branch Road home last week, will remain “undetermined.”
“We were obviously able to find the origin of the fire but there was so much damage to the area that we weren’t able to exactly determine the cause,” Fire Chief Pierre Voisine told Cornwall Newswatch Monday morning.
Voisine said the fire started in the south end of the building in a “mechanical type room” which included a furnace, other appliances and some chemicals.
The fire started around 1:26 a.m. Wednesday (Feb. 27) and quickly engulfed the two-storey structure in flames.
Cornwall firefighters, with help from South Stormont and South Glengarry, battled the fire for hours while also dealing with the challenges presented with the bitter cold.
Voisine says they “have no reason to believe” and “have no evidence showing” that foul play was involved.
The chief believes the building was insured.