‘They were really great friends,’ says one local resident of the two men killed in a house fire; fire marshal is investigating
Neighbours are grieving for two familiar faces from Alfred Street who tragically lost their lives in a house fire on Friday afternoon. They’re remembered as kind individuals always ready to help others.
Phil Lauzon, a longtime resident of over 30 years, shared his thoughts about both men, recalling them as thoughtful neighbours willing to lend a hand.
“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 noted that Al had been living in the house since the 1970s and would have turned 77 on October 7.
The second man, identified by Lauzon as Larry, was a father and grandfather who spent many years working as a plumber. Lauzon mentioned that Larry, 63, had lived at the home for nearly two decades and relied on an oxygen tank while battling cancer and COPD.
“It’s (going to be) a really, really bad Thanksgiving. This is one hell of a way to go out.”
Lauzon explained that he had just come back from shopping around 3:30 p. m. when he noticed some commotion outside. Living just two doors down from where it happened, he initially didn’t know what was going on.
“Then I saw all the police, ambulance and the fire trucks. I said, ‘Whoa.’ I thought it was the street people down there.. so it was a real shocker,” he said.
A different neighbour chose not to give his name but described returning from the bank only to find part of the road near his home blocked off.
“There were a million lights. It was like Las Vegas,” he said. “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 added while remembering how both men were “good neighbours.”
Barrie Fire Chief Kevin White stated that local fire crews received reports about the incident at 3:44 p. m.
The cause of this tragic fire is still under investigation by Ontario’s Fire Marshal’s Office with support from Barrie Fire investigators as well.
White reported that someone who called in noticed smoke coming from windows of the small single-storey residence before firefighters quickly brought it under control by around 4 p. m.
No nearby homes suffered any damage due to this fire, according to White.
The property located at Alfred Street and Campbell Avenue remained sealed off with caution tape on Saturday while investigators continued their examination of the scene.
A Barrie police cruiser could be seen parked in front of the driveway along with multiple vehicles belonging to Ontario’s Fire Marshal’s Office and Barrie Fire’s investigation unit occupying parts of the narrow residential street.
Jim Kettles from Ontario’s Fire Marshal’s Office mentioned investigators arrived shortly after 4 p. m., Friday afternoon.
Jim Kettles, operations manager with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office. Nikki Cole/Barrie Today
“In this case there were two fatalities, so that does meet our criteria. Serious injuries are another one; explosions or large loss can also prompt our involvement,” Kettles explained while at the scene Saturday.
This investigation is being conducted by one lead fire marshal alongside several supporting investigators who focus primarily on identifying where exactly fires begin and what triggered them.
Kettles remarked: “When we’re at a scene we’re primarily looking for origin and cause.” Additionally assessing safety systems such as smoke alarms becomes crucial during investigations like these when examining houses specifically.”
Kettles highlighted they haven’t yet established whether smoke alarms were present or functioning during this particular incident.
“If you’re asking how we determine if smoke alarms worked despite damage? That depends largely upon where they’re placed within homes,” Kettles replied. “Often they’ll be damaged but forensic experts assist us here- even severely ruined units can tell us important details regarding functionality.” He emphasized understanding whether detectors existed before events occurred remains vital throughout such investigations.” “It’s always very beneficial knowing if they were functional before everything unfolded,” Kettles noted adding insights shared by firefighters saying they’d heard alarms blaring also aids inquiries into operations.” Regarding completion timelines surrounding cases like these? “To put simply there’s no definitive answer right now-we might discover something necessitating further inspection hence extending timeframes necessary towards resolving matters accordingly”. Kettles acknowledged having lost lives adds complexity making thorough examinations more challenging given circumstances involved. “It’s always tragic anytime somebody dies in a fire.”
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