VIDEO | Fire destroys Ridgeway homes; two people caught fleeing on foot

Two of three townhouses that burned to the ground in a Ridgeway subdivision Saturday morning were already sold and scheduled to be occupied by this summer.

But now the owners will have to wait a few months until the site can be cleaned up and their units rebuilt, said Alexa Mills, vice-president of Blythwood Homes, the developer behind the cluster of homes near Prospect Point Road.

The three units destroyed on Butternut Crescent were part of 10 that are nearing completion in the subdivision, a total of about 100 residences.

Mills told Fort Erie Radio she is hoping for the best, but admitted the developer will likely have to “start over” with the three units that were engulfed by flames on the weekend.

“We’re hoping the foundation is still good, but most likely not, it looks like,” she said in an interview Sunday.

The unit in the middle of the group of three was intended to be a model home used to sell the remaining five townhouses that are still on the market.

Mills said the individuals who were waiting for the final touches to be complete on their new homes have both not yet sold their current homes, meaning the incident won’t result in anyone being displaced. They were contacted Saturday.

Both homes sold for about $950,000, she said.

Niagara Regional Police (NRP) did not provide information on Sunday. A spokesperson said questions could be answered on Monday.

Mills provided surveillance footage captured by a neighbour, which shows two individuals leaving the area at about 6:45 a.m., one of them walking with a bicycle.

By 7:02 a.m., the home was ablaze and onlookers could be seen in the video on foot and driving by.

Fort Erie Radio does not have confirmation from the NRP, but Mills said two people were put in custody by police a short time after the fire started.

“We don’t know the outcome of that,” she said, adding that it seems the fire was not caused by a “site issue.”

Mills also said at the stage of construction the townhouses were in, it would not be difficult to get inside.

Deputy Fire Chief Chris Smith said information related to “findings and criminality” should be directed to the NRP.

He said the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office was contacted but did not attend the scene.

Damage is estimated at $1 million and there were no injuries to firefighters or people in the neighbourhood, said Smith, reiterating the townhouses that burned down were not occupied.

The fire was “fully developed” before 911 calls started to come in, said Smith, adding it was a difficult blaze to combat.

“It was a wind-driven fire that grew and travelled very rapidly,” he said.

An excavator had to be called in to assist with gaining access to fires taking place under debris.

It was fought with two aerial trucks and a total of eight apparatuses.

There was representation from all four fire stations at the scene, equating to about 35 firefighters.

He said the fire department did an “excellent job” to make sure the blaze did not spread to nearby homes, which were occupied.

VIDEO #1 | 6:42 a.m.

VIDEO #2 | 7:02 a.m.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe