‘They were really great friends,’ one neighbourhood resident says of two men killed in Barrie house fire on Friday
Residents are heartbroken over the deaths of two familiar faces from Alfred Street who lost their lives in a house fire Friday afternoon, recalling them as kind-hearted individuals who were always eager to help.
Phil Lauzon, a long-time resident of over 30 years, shared that he knew both men well and remembered them as supportive neighbours who would lend a hand whenever needed.
“They were really great friends. I’ve known Al for about 50 years. He was a really nice guy. He was a teacher and he was always trying to help people,” Lauzon said. “He helped me get the guys to do the renovation, the windows and all that. And he helped me with the yard. When they saw me struggling around there, they were trying to help me do the yard work and everything.”
Lauzon mentioned that Al had lived in the home since the 1970s and would have celebrated his 77th birthday on Oct. 7.
The other resident, identified by Lauzon as Larry, was a devoted father and grandfather who worked as a plumber for many years. Lauzon noted that Larry, aged 63, had been residing in the home for almost two decades while managing health issues related to cancer and COPD using an oxygen tank.
“It’s (going to be) a really, really bad Thanksgiving. This is one hell of a way to go out.”
Lauzon said he had just come back from shopping around 3:30 p. m. when he noticed some commotion outside. Living just two doors down from the house, he initially didn’t know what was going on until he saw all the police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks arriving.
“I said, ‘Whoa.’ I thought it was the street people down there.. so it was a real shocker,” he recalled.
A second neighbour, who chose not to give his name, returned from running errands only to find part of the road near his home blocked off.
“There were a million lights. It was like Las Vegas. I knew Al a little bit. We talked, walked his dog and talked about that. When my flag was tattered, he replaced my flag,” he told Barrie Today about how both men were “good neighbours.”
Barrie Fire Chief Kevin White informed Barrie Today that local fire crews responded to calls about the incident at 3:44 p. m.
The cause of this tragic fire is still being investigated by Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office along with Barrie Fire investigators’ assistance.
White explained that someone reported seeing smoke coming from windows of the small single-storey home before firefighters quickly brought it under control and extinguished it by around 4 p. m.
No other homes in proximity suffered damage from this fire incident, White added.
The affected single-storey residence near Alfred Street and Campbell Avenue remained sealed off with caution tape on Saturday as investigators continued their examination of the site. A police car from Barrie sat parked in its driveway while multiple vehicles from both Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office and Barrie Fire Emergency Services lined up on narrow residential streets.
Jim Kettles works as an operations manager with Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office; he stated investigators arrived shortly after 4 p. m. Friday evening at this scene.
Jim Kettles is an operations manager with the Office of the Fire Marshal. | Nikki Cole/Barrie Today
“In this case there were two fatalities so that does meet our criteria; serious injuries are another one along with explosions or large loss incidents; we have various reasons for our involvement,” Kettles mentioned while present at Saturday’s scene talking with Barrie Today.
The investigation will be led by a fire marshal supported by several other investigators involved in examining different aspects surrounding this case including where exactly started fires arose alongside determining causative factors leading up towards ignition events within homes or structures involved during these tragic situations such as smoke alarms present therein protecting residents living inside against danger posed by flames spreading rapidly unchecked due lack thereof safety measures put place beforehand preventing hazards occurring resulting thusly ending lives untimely taken away too soon gone forever lost but never forgotten surely missed dearly loved ones left behind waiting patiently hoping answers arise soon enough closure found eventually peace restored..(pending continuation..)
Source link
