MILLION DOLLAR FIRE.
Muskoka Lakes firefighters battled a fire on North Bohemia Island on Lake Rosseau on the morning of Wednesday, June 6 that destroyed two cottages. The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called to investigate.
Photo courtesy of the Muskoka Lakes Fire Department
MUSKOKA LAKES - An early morning blaze on Wednesday, June 6 has completely destroyed a pair of million-dollar cottages on Lake Rosseau.
Firefighters were called to the fire on North Bohemia Island shortly after midnight when a fire alarm was activated. Fire crews from the Minett fire station were the first to respond and quickly called for additional backup when they realized the size of the blaze.
“Once they started heading down the lake, they noticed a glow in the sky and upgraded the call,” said Muskoka Lakes fire chief Richard Hayes.
Additional firefighters were called in from the Foot’s Bay, Windermere and Port Carling fire stations, along with police, paramedics and hydro crews.
Firefighters finally got the upper hand on the blaze at around 3:30 a.m., but were still on the island until at least 7:30 a.m.
Hayes said nobody was in the buildings at the time the fire broke out, and that the homeowners were notified and arrived by boat during the incident. No injuries were reported in the blaze.
Assistant fire chief Jim Schneider said the cost of the damage is about $1.2 million and that the two buildings were joined by an enclosed walkway. The cottages were about 40 years old and the owners have a family history on the island dating back to the 1930s.
Schneider said fire crews believe the fire was electrical in nature and remind cottage owners to clean and inspect appliances before turning them on.
Having an alarm system, he said, can provide fire crews with early warning.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has been called to investigate the incident.