Update: ‘Suspicious’ fire under investigation in Hamilton

This story has been updated to include commentary from the Hamilton Fire Department.

A fire broke out in Hamilton last night and is under investigation as “suspicious.”

According to Hamilton Police, they received a report of the fire around 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 20. The blaze had broken out at a home on York Rd. between Old Guelph Rd. and Newman Rd. The area is rural just outside Dundas.

By the time first responders arrived, the home was already fully engulfed in flame. Hamilton Fire described the blaze as “heavy flames and smoke showing from all sides of a one-and-a-half-storey home.”

When the firefighters arrived they quickly deployed fire hoses through the front door. However, they soon learned a man may still have been inside. A second and third fire crew was setting up their hoses at the rear of the home when this was discovered.

These units dropped the line and entered the home to search for the occupant. Chief Dave Cunliffe described, “Firefighters entering the building encountered high heat and heavy fire on both the main and upper floor of the home as they performed their searches and conducted firefighting operations.”

No one was found during this search. The human residents of the home escaped uninjured but the family dog died in the blaze.

“This was a well involved, stubborn fire, that firefighters were able to bring under control in approximately 30 minutes,” Cunliffe said. The home sustained an estimated $75,000 in damage.

Area witnesses reportedly saw a man in the area before the fire broke out. Police continue to investigate these claims. Hamilton Fire has yet to determine a cause of the blaze. Therefore it has been labeled as suspicious. The Ontario Fire Marshall was informed but has declined to investigate.

As a result, police are spearheading the investigation. As of a statement this morning, officers are holding the scene until arson investigators arrive.