Oro-Medonte - An investigation into a blaze that destroyed an Oro-Medonte farmhouse is slow going due to extreme weather conditions, according to the township’s deputy fire chief.
“There was a lot of ice (that formed when water was pumped into the house),” said Hugh Murray. “It is hard to get at and look at.”
Crews from three stations responded to a report of a basement fire at a farmhouse at 1322 Horseshoe Valley Rd. E. at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
A couple that had been renting the house managed to escape unharmed prior to the arrival of fire fighters, as did two dogs.
“I believe they have a place to stay,” Murray added of the couple.
The fire quickly spread to the entire house and proved difficult to tackle due to frigid temperatures that caused ice to build up on the department’s pumpers and gear, he said.
“Because of the weather conditions, we had equipment freezing later in the evening,” Murray said. “It is just hard working conditions when you have the ice around and the ice coming on the trucks.”
“It was a stubborn fire,” he added. “We were at it until the early hours of the morning.”
The house was destroyed, though officials have yet to determine the value of the building and its contents.
“It is a total loss,” said Murray, adding that he believed the house was insured.
Investigators are picking through the wreckage in an attempt to determine the cause of the fire.
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Oro-Medonte firefighters worked for several hours to extinguish a blaze that destroyed a farmhouse on Horseshoe Valley Road on Sunday. The tenants escaped uninjured, officials said.
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