TEAM EFFORT:.
CALLANDER – A family of five has been displaced from their home after what appears to be an electrical fire on Monday.
Firefighters from both the Nipissing and Callander fire departments responded to a call of a blaze at the Hazel Glen Road home.
Callander fire chief Rob Serson says they were called to the single family dwelling at about 2:24 p.m.
No occupants were home at the time of the fire, but female resident was out walking with her children when the fire occurred.
“She came home to find smoke coming out of the windows and the smoke alarm sounding,” said Serson.
He says the mother of three managed to get most of the family pets out of the home before the fire department arrived on scene but they moved a few cats away from the structure.
Serson, who is also chief for the Nipissing fire department, had Nipissing respond to the call as well because of their proximity to the location on Hazel Glen, which is the furthest point from either of the two Callander stations.
Fifteen fire fighters and seven trucks attended the scene.
When firefighters arrived there were still no flames visible because the fire was contained to the area of the front living room.
The house suffered extensive smoke damage from what Serson says what likely an electrical fire, ruling the incident accidental.
“I’m not investigating it further because it is not suspicious,” he said. “We’re pretty sure that it was failure that they had too many electrical appliances plugged into one receptacle.”
Serson says the breaker should have tripped but did not.
“It’s with the insurance company now,” he said. “The fire didn’t do a whole lot of damage. It was mostly smoke damage.”