No one was injured in a weekend house fire in Erieau, but damage is estimated at close to $1 million.
The fire began in the early morning hours of Oct. 7, as the homeowner was alerted by their smoke alarm going off about 2 a.m. The home was reportedly filled with smoke.
Crews arrived to the Nichols Avenue home to see the fire had quickly spread.
Three stations were called in, battling the flames and high winds. A nearby home also suffered damage as the fire-stricken home burned to the ground, officials say.
The fire served as a reminder that smoke alarms can save lives.
“As we enter fire prevention week and with ‘CHiRP Day in CK’ on the 21st of October – where every available member of the department and partners will be going door to door all over Chatham-Kent to provide home safety advice to our communities – we are reminded that this week’s fire was a tragedy for the homeowners but one that can be recovered from,” fire chief Chris Case said in a media release. “As we found in Chatham only a few weeks ago, some tragedies cannot be mended as easily.”
Case was referring to a Sept. 19 fire on St. George Street in Chatham where a person lost his life.
Firefighters from all 19 fire stations, along with community partners, will be taking to the streets and knocking on doors, asking to come into homes to complete CHiRP home safety checks.
“A CHiRP Home Safety Check is free and takes about 10 to 15 minutes,” explained public information officer, Whitney Burk. “Firefighters provide residents with safety education for their home, while checking, testing alarms and installing new smoke and carbon monoxide alarms when needed.”
