Basement fire damages McGregor Avenue home

Smoke streams out of windows of a home on McGregor Avenue in Cornwall, Ont. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020 as Cornwall Fire Services Platoon Chief Pierre Baril speaks to Cornwall Electric workers. The home has extensive smoke and water damage. The family wasn't home at the time of the fire. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)

CORNWALL – A basement fire has heavily damaged a home on McGregor Avenue in Cornwall.

Cornwall firefighters were called to the 200 block of McGregor (one block south of York and Seventh Streets) around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Platoon Chief Pierre Baril told Cornwall Newswatch the fire appeared to have started somewhere in the basement.

“We got a call from a neighbour that there was a structure fire. We arrived on scene with heavy, black smoke coming from the eaves. Seems like we have a basement fire at this point but as far as what caused it, it’s undetermined (at this point),” Baril said.

“When we got on scene, visibility was zero throughout the building so we’ve had to ventilate to make headway for the firefighters that were going in,” he said.

He said it’s a tough situation for firefighters in a home they’ve never been in before.

“It’s not you see on Chicago Fire where you see the beautiful fire and guys going in and calling out. There’s actually zero visibility and you’re bumping into things,” Baril said.

A woman, one of the homeowners, is consoled outside their McGregor Avenue home on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020 after a basement fire caused extensive damage to the building. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)

The owners of the home – a couple and their young child – showed up on scene about 45 minutes after the fire started. The woman sobbed as she held her face in her hands while being consoled by the man.

Baril added that Cornwall Electric and Cornwall-SDG Paramedic Services was also on scene as a precaution “always first class on scene immediately to help us in case we need it.”

There are no reported injuries.

Fire prevention office investigators were on scene.