A preliminary report from the Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) says work by contractors repairing the roof of the dollar store in downtown Listowel, Ont. resulted in the March 17 blaze that killed two firefighters.
While the investigation is still ongoing, the Fire Marshal's Office says in a release the repairs "led to the ignition of the interior combustible components of the roof structure."
In addition, the report says fire crews entered the building because there was no significant smoke or flame in the building, to confirm no one was left inside.
It was at that point the lightweight wood truss roof structure collapsed, killing volunteer firefighters Ray Walter, 30, and Ken Rea, 56.
In the press release Ontario Fire Marshal Ted Wieclawek says "The OFM will continue to conduct further research and analysis of the sequence of events surrounding this fire, to learn from this tragedy. We will, in the future, provide the fire service with additional information and increased knowledge to safely respond to similar fires."
