Fires in St. Catharines Ruled Undetermined After Investigations

Firefighters in St. Catharines, Ont., have deemed the cause of two fires downtown that occurred hours apart last month as undetermined.

This information comes after a two-week investigation conducted by the fire department along with Niagara police, according to a statement from the city on Tuesday.

Both buildings had no active utilities, and investigators found that a combustible fuel source was used to start the fires, stated the city.

However, fire Chief David Upper mentioned that the fire did not spread from one building to another.

“We believe the fires originated on the upper floors of each of the respective buildings, but due to the extent of structural damage and demolition required to ensure the fires were completely out, a definitive point of origin couldn’t be determined for either fire,” he said in the statement.

Two Fires at Former Building

The first fire ignited in the attic and roof area at 9 Queen St. around 7 p. m. on December 26, as noted in a previous news release. The building was once a restaurant but had been empty for some time.

“While crews were able to quickly gain control of the fire after a defensive attack, they brought in heavy equipment to pull the building down to allow firefighters to douse hotspots that continued to burn in the roof,” said the statement.

The fire was put out at about 1 a. m., December 27.

A few hours later, firefighters were called back for another fire next door at what remained of 17 Queen St.-the former building where another blaze had happened on December 5.

The site was already fenced off for demolition when this second fire broke out.

Investigators have been unable to connect both fires at 17 Queen St. because of “severe damage and state of the site after each of the incidents,” according to Upper.

The investigative team has sifted through debris at both locations, talked with neighbors, and reviewed security footage, stated city officials. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to police or Crime Stoppers.

The property owner continues cleanup efforts at both sites. While sidewalk access remains closed out front, all roads have reopened.

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