A Wallaceburg house fire that claimed three lives last month has been classified as “incendiary” in nature by the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office.
The OFM conducted a four-day investigation after a fire tore through the Elgin Street home on February 17. Seven investigators attended the scene to determine the cause and origin of the blaze.
OFM investigator Michael Ross could not discuss the details about the origin of the fire but said an “incendiary” fire is ignited in an area or under circumstances where and when there should not be a fire. Typically, this involves a human element, Ross said.
He added that it would be up to police investigators to determine if the blaze was intentionally set.
Chatham-Kent firefighters were called to the Elgin Street home just after 2 a.m. when the fire broke out. Two victims were initially pulled from the burning building the morning of the fire. A man was pronounced dead at the scene, while a woman taken to hospital later died from her injuries. A third body was recovered from the basement of the home later that day.
Ross said the low temperature and snowy weather conditions at the time of the fire added days to the investigation.
“We had to basically board up some portions inside the house and then deploy big heaters to basically keep the house at an ambient temperature so we could process the materials,” he said.
Ross said OFM investigators will be conducting a further review of the information collected from the scene before the evidence is presented to police.