A pair of Braeside homes suffered extensive damage after fire quickly spread from a nearby shed Wednesday afternoon.
A pile of wood located in a detached shed at 25 Bellevue Cres. caught fire shortly after 2 p.m.
Homeowner George James called 911 after he noticed his shed was on fire.
“I was in the basement and I heard a big bang, came upstairs and the woodpile was on fire and the shed was on fire and that tree was on fire and then it jumped to the house,” he said as he stood on the sidewalk, surveying the damage.
Platoon Chief Keane Aldous said the damage to James’ home is fairly extensive.
“The fire started on the exterior and spread up the wall into the attic, so there was extensive damage up into the attic area and on the exterior,” he said.
The attic was insulated with wood chips, although Aldous said it is not yet known if that accelerated the fire.
James and his family have lived in the home for roughly five years. He said he has no idea what could have caused the blaze.
“There’s nothing electrical, nothing that would have started a fire,” he said, adding the only thing in the shed was chopped wood.
Fire investigators remained on scene late Wednesday working to determine the cause of the blaze.
Next-door neighbour Noreen Woitenko’s home suffered mainly exterior damage after the fire jumped from the shed to her exterior wall.
A neighbour called Woitenko at work to alert her to the blaze.
“I was at school and I got a call from my neighbours across the street telling me my house was on fire,” she said.
She has lived in the house for roughly 45 years and said she never experienced anything like this.
“We just renovated the inside, of course, and just redid the roof,” she said.
Both homeowners have insurance.
