Home extensively damaged, school evacuated, after Kitchener fire
No injuries have been reported after a house fire in Kitchener.
Kitchener Fire Department Platoon Chief Andy O’Reilly said crews were called to a house fire in the Belleview Avenue area around 7:20 a.m.
When they arrived, fire was already billowing from the windows.
Firefighters began their attack from the outside before heading inside to bring the flames under control.
The damage to the home is significant and investigators are still looking for a cause.
Crews were still on scene around noon, dealing with hot spots.
Meanwhile, access to a nearby school, Smithson Public School, was limited while crews worked.
Later in the morning, staff said they could smell natural gas in the school and students and staff were evacuated while Kitchener Utilities and Waterloo Region District School Board Facility Services were called to the building.
In a statement to CTV News, Associate Director of Student Achievement and Well-being Alison Gaymes San Vicente said students and staff went to their predetermined evacuation site, St. James’ Rosemount United Church, for about an hour.
“The gas has now been shut off at the school, which means the heat has also been turned off. Facility Services staff are working to bring in portable heaters, although we’ve shared with families and caregivers that they are welcome to come pick up their children, should they choose to do so.
The well-being of WRDSB students is our top priority. We would like to take this opportunity to thank students and families for their cooperation, and the swift response of the Facility Services team,” she wrote.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau asked Trump for California, Vermont to curb annexation talks
Justin Trudeau says U.S. president-elect Donald Trump kicked the tires on the potential annexation of Canada during their recent meeting in Florida, but the topic was quickly dropped when the prime minister countered with a request for two states.
Man dies after falling into sink hole at Fernie Alpine Resort
An investigation is underway by Elk Valley RCMP after a man died Wednesday after falling into a sink hole at Fernie Alpine Resort.
One Alberta man gets jail, another community time for 2022 Coutts border protest
Two Alberta men have been sentenced for their roles in the illegal Coutts border blockade in 2022.
Liberal leadership: Carney expected to launch bid next week, Clark organizing heavily, Gould considers entering
While longtime cabinet ministers Dominic LeBlanc and Melanie Joly have officially announced they have no plans to run for the Liberal leadership, several well-known faces are organizing behind the scenes to launch bids of their own.
Amid tense backdrop, Canadian warship gets friendly message from Chinese vessel tracking movements
Daybreak on HMCS Ottawa began with a call over the marine radio from a Chinese warship. The call is coming from a Chinese Frigate known as the Yuncheng, the warship has been shadowing HMCS Ottawa through the South China Sea for two days and counting.
'Everything is gone': Sask. business owner loses Los Angeles home to wildfires
A Saskatchewan business owner lost her Los Angeles home as wildfires ravage parts of the city.
Trump gets no-penalty sentence in his hush money case, while calling it 'despicable'
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment in his historic hush money case, a judgment that lets him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine.
'Devastating beyond words': Paris Hilton shows remnants of home destroyed by L.A. fire
Socialite Paris Hilton shared a video showing her ravaged house, destroyed by the L.A. wildfires., 'I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable,' Hilton wrote on Instagram.
School software hack hits school boards across six Canadian provinces
School boards across Canada are grappling with the fallout from a significant cyberattack on PowerSchool, a widely used administration software platform.