Investigators in Guelph are trying to determine what caused a fire that threatened four homes Saturday morning.
Fire crews were called to a backyard in the Grange Road area around 4 a.m. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found heavy fire coming from the rear of 309 and 311 Grange Road. The fire also affected the homes on either side, at 307 and 313 Grange Road.
Firefighters immediately evacuated residents in all neighbouring homes.
George Smith and his wife Cecilia were sleeping when neighbours began ringing their doorbell. The couple was shocked by what they saw. "It was an inferno across there. Just a wall of flame. I couldn't believe… I've never seen anything like that."
Additional fire crews were called in to help assist with the blaze, which took two hours to contain.
Two of the homes were empty at the time of the fire. The residents of the other two homes escaped without injury.
This is the second time in a week fire crews were called to Grange Road. On Wednesday, a homeowner came back from vacation to find his camper on fire. Police believe that blaze was an act of arson.
The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office has been called in to help the Guelph Fire Prevention Office determine the cause and origin of Saturday's fire. While police aren't saying it's connected to Wednesday's camper fire, they aren't ruling it out.
The estimated damage to all four homes is $700,000.
