Five area fire departments responded to a fire that destroyed a home on the border between Wellington and Dufferin counties on Highway 89 here.
Departments from Wellington North’s Arthur and Mount Forest stations responded to the call around 11am on Jan. 16.
They were joined by fire departments from Shelburne, Dundalk, Orangeville and Grand Valley, according to Wellington North Fire Service chief Jeff Dahms.
“Two occupants in the building at the time vacated immediately,” the chief said. “There were no injuries.”
Dahms said because the home, a concrete structure, was fully involved when firefighters arrived they went into a “defensive position” and battled to control the blaze and not save the home.
Tanker trucks collected water from a source just east of the location to provide water to firefighters.
Members and equipment from the fire departments in Harriston and Fergus were sent to the stations in Mount Forest and Arthur under a mutual aid program that provides back-up for stations involved in fires elsewhere.
“Mutual aid was activated knowing we would be short crews and vehicles,” Dahms added.
He estimates a loss of between $200,000 and $250,000.
“We think it was an electrical issue,” the fire chief said of the suspected cause.
Wellington North crews were on the scene until 5pm. Dahms said victim services also responded to help the family.
