Historic home destroyed by fire in Cambridge
Residents of a south Cambridge neighbourhood describe being woken up by loud explosions Sunday as an early morning fire destroyed a historic farm house.
Crews had been preparing move the 160-year-old century home to make way for a new subdivision development near Maple Bush Drive and Wesley Boulevard.
Around 4 a.m. Sunday, the sky was lit up orange as it burnt to the ground.
“[There were] huge balls of flames coming up with a lot of smoke,” said Mike, who lives in the area and declined to give his last name.
“We heard a massive bang, my husband actually thought it was someone breaking into the house so he got up and then we saw trucks flying down the street,” said another neighbour.
The Cambridge Fire Department said no one was injured in the blaze.
Smoke rises from one of the lots at a subdivision development near Maple Bush Drive and Wesley Boulevard in Cambridge on Aug. 28, 2022. (Krista Sharpe/CTV Kitchener)
A Waterloo regional police forensics van was on-scene Sunday morning.
Fire crews remained at the site putting out hot spots throughout the afternoon.
'A TRAGEDY': ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVANCY ONTARIO
Multiple neighbours told CTV News a party with a number of young people happened at the lot overnight. They said they called police around 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. to complain – then called again around 4 a.m. when they heard explosions and saw fire.
The structure that went up in flames was a century home on the city’s heritage registery.
The Architectural Conservancy Ontario says the gothic-style farmhouse was built sometime between 1855 and 1860. (Council agenda package/City of Cambridge)
“It was a gothic-style farmhouse,” Michelle Goodridge, a board member at the Architectural Conservancy Ontario explained.
“It was built in a window between 1855 and 1860.”
The historic home was being prepped to be moved to a different spot for preservation.
“It's a tragedy that this has happened and it happened so close to being able to relocate it,” Goodridge said.
Waterloo regional police did not immediately respond to requests for more information about the fire.
At this point, the cause of the blaze is unknown.
CLICK ON THE GALLERY BELOW TO SEE MORE PICTURES
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.