A home and shed northeast of Rockwood were destroyed by fire Monday morning.
Firefighters were called to the building – which is located on the 7th Line, west of Highway 7 in Guelph/Eramosa – shortly after 9:30 a.m.
They arrived to find thick smoke coming from the building, with flames shooting out a portion of the roof.
Multiple Well County depts working a mixed commercial / residential structure fire @CWFireChief @WellyAdvertiser pic.twitter.com/TjTG5B7jzb
— Jonathan Karn (@karnwt1) January 9, 2017
Highway 7 was closed in the area until about 1:30 p.m. as firefighters worked to contain the fire and keep it from spreading beyond the two buildings.
Temperatures well below the freezing mark made firefighting efforts an additional challenge. Firefighters from six stations ended up on the 7th Line, as they were needed to transport water to the scene and keep it from freezing.
Damage is estimated at at least $1 million.
No injuries were reported, as nobody was living in the home. The property owner says it was in the process of being fixed up, while the shed contained some personal items.
Several abandoned buildings in and around Guelph/Eramosa have caught fire over the past few months.
Many of them have been deemed suspicious, although officials said Monday that it was too soon to tell if the latest fire should be added to that list.
An investigator with the Office of the Fire Marshal did say that there were no footprints in the snow or anything else that would suggest somebody forced their way into the home.
With reporting by Nicole Lampa
