Press Release
In the early hours of Saturday, the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service responded to the report of smoke in the Leon’s Home Furnishings Superstore.
An OPP officer on scene directed the responding fire service personnel to the alley behind the store, where open flames were visible through a section of the rear service door used for shipping and receiving products.
The fire was isolated to a small section of this area and quickly extinguished by firefighters.
Although fire damage was not significant, the rest of the building and its contents received moderate smoke damage.
The fire service investigation has determined the cause of the fire appeared to be incendiary in nature.
As a result, the scene was turned over to the OPP for further investigation.
Damage to the building and contents was minimized due to the actions of a downtown employee working in close proximity of the business,
responding OPP officers that made sound decisions to activate appropriate resources, and the effective response of the night-shift fire service officer and on-call firefighters.
Early detection of smoke and fire conditions is critical to asset protection, and the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service encourages all business owners to install detection within their buildings.
Not only does it ensure quick evacuation of staff and customers, but limits potential damage to property through early detection and fire department response.
If business owners have any questions or require information regarding detection within their workplace, contact Fire Chief Frank Sheppard or Fire Prevention Captain Wayne Riches at 274-9841.
