Fire marshal investigating Waterloo house blaze, 1 man seriously injured

The Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) has been called in after a house fire in Waterloo that sent one man to hospital with serious burn injuries.

Waterloo Fire Rescue teams were called around 4:30 p.m. to a home on Lexington Road near Bridge Street West to reports of a house fire. Heavy smoke was seen coming from the home, with crews believing the blaze started in the basement.

Fire Chief Richard Hepditch told 570 NewsRadio that three people lived in the home and one man suffered serious burns to his upper body.

The other two, a man and woman, won’t be able to move back into the heavily damaged home, with a damage estimate of over $800,000, most of which is smoke damage.

“This will mean that three persons, including the burn victim, will be displaced from the home. The Red Cross was contacted last night (Thursday) and provided shelter and food assistance and other supports such as mental health to at least one individual who lives at the property,” said Hepditch.

No other neighbouring properties were damaged in the blaze.

The OFM was contacted due to the nature of the serious injury sustained.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but Hepditch stresses fire safety is always important to keep top of mind, including having working smoke alarms and knowing two ways out of a home in case of an emergency.

“We have to be paying attention to our environment in terms of fire safety, because it can happen at any time,” he said.

Hepditch adds that, in this case, 18 firefighters were brought in, and five units were needed to tackle the fire, which was quickly extinguished.

There are no longer road closures in the area, but fire crews and the OFM will be on scene Friday, with delays during busy traffic times to be expected.