Staff
A residence located at Fire #33 on Church Road in Devlin burned down last Thursday night—and the cause of the blaze may never be known.
Fort Frances Fire Chief Gerry Armstrong, who handles the administrative duties for the La Vallee Fire Department, said an insurance investigator was on site yesterday.
But as of right now, it seems the cause may remain a mystery due to the extent of the damage.
“It’s pretty much gone, the building. It’s burned right in on top of itself,” Chief Armstrong noted.
“The chances we’re really going to find something to pin it down is somewhat remote,” he added.
“However, the investigator is there checking it out, and we’ll never say ‘we don’t know’ until he says ‘we don’t know.’”
Chief Armstrong added the fire is not deemed suspicious.
The blaze was reported just before 4 p.m. on Thursday, with the La Vallee Fire Department responding to the call.
Shortly thereafter, they called for mutual aid from the Alberton Fire Department.
Firefighters battled the blaze for hours in frigid temperatures, bringing it under control between midnight and 1 a.m.
Some fire staff remained on scene overnight to ensure the blaze didn’t start up again.
No injuries were reported.
The single male resident was not home when the fire started, but had arrived to find smoke coming out of the dwelling and called the fire department.
