Police and Ontario Fire Marshal investigators are still at the scene of a March 23 house fire in Collingwood on Rhonda Road where the investigation into the circumstances of the fire continues.
The brick bungalow on the dead-end street caught fire around 8 p.m. on Saturday night, sending smoke through the neighbourhood.
Two people were inside the house when it caught fire, but were outside by the time fire crews and police arrived on scene. One person was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, which prompted Acting Fire Chief Stephen Emo call to the Ontario Fire Marshal's office for further investigation.
Collingwood and The Blue Mountains Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirmed in a news release today (March 25) that the local crime unit was investigating the fire, which they've deemed "suspicious."
OPP Inspector Loris Licharson, detachment commander in Collingwood and The Blue Mountains, was at the scene today and confirmed the investigation is continuing, but couldn't comment any further on the details.
There were three vehicles from the Ontario Fire Marshal's (OFM) office at the scene this morning and afternoon, for the origin, cause, and circumstance investigation that began yesterday (March 24).
OFM investigator Clive Hubbard, is expecting to wrap up his work on site by this evening, depending on how the day goes.
"There's some significant structural damage to the interior of the house, and it would be questionable whether it can be repaired or whether it's cheaper to tear down and rebuild," said Hubbard. "That's a question for the insurance companies."
He confirmed there were working smoke alarms inside that helped alert the occupants there was something wrong.
While Hubbard couldn't give details of his investigation, he explained that his work involves studying the aftermath of the fire, interviewing firefighters who arrived on scene to put the fire out, and testing some materials and objects from the home to find out what happened.
"Investigators in the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office are trained to examine fire patterns and the effects of fire on material, we then interpret the fire patterns and analyze them, which then leads us to form an opinion in regards to the area of origin," said Hubbard, who confirmed the fire at 10 Rhonda Road was inside the home.
Studying the fire patterns inside helps Hubbard find the area of the home where the fire started, which is where he looks for the cause.
"If the fire is allowed to burn for a significant amount of time, obviously there's more destruction," said Hubbard, who has been an OFM investigator for 11 years since retiring from his job as a police officer. "So it does make it more difficult, I won't say it's impossible."
Once Hubbard concludes his investigation, and the materials sent to the Centre of Forensic Sciences have been tested, he will submit his report, including his opinion on the origin and cause of the fire to the police.
"[Police] would fold that into the evidence they have and make some decisions," said Hubbard. "The fire department will get a copy of [the report] once the police have concluded their investigation. Anytime the police are involved, the police get the report before anybody else."
The report could take between a few weeks and a couple of months, however, since Hubbard is working on multiple investigations at a time and there's a backlog at the Centre for Forensic Science.
There are approximately 25 certified fire investigators with the Ontario Fire Marshal's office and about 12 or so more in the final stages of certification training, said Hubbard.
"We're hoping to get somewhere around 40 investigators for the province, that's the plan anyway," said Hubbard.
Collingwood OPP is asking anyone with information about the March 23 fire to call the detachment at 1-705-445-4321 or if you wish to remain anonymous you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can also leave an anonymous tip online at www.crimestopperssdm.com/.
