Storage building in Mount Forest destroyed by fire considered suspicious

May 05, 2023

Advertiser StaffJune 5, 2023 @ 10:28 amCommunity News, News

Updated On June 5, 2023 @ 1:33 pm

MOUNT FOREST – Volunteer firefighters awoke from their sleep in the early hours of Sunday morning to battle a structure and car fire in separate incidents that are considered suspicious.

Firefighters arrived at Wellington Produce Packaging on Sligo Road in Mount Forest to find a storage building ablaze after a 911 call came in at around 2:48am on June 4.

According to a press release from deputy Wellington North and Minto fire chief Callise Loos, the building contained cardboard and "other items."

Loos did not specify what the other items were.

"There were no occupants in the building at the time of the fire, and no injuries to anyone involved," Loos wrote.

Firefighters were still on scene mid-Sunday morning extinguishing hot spots.

Sligo Road also remained closed into the morning.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and considered suspicious, according to a June 5 update from police.

A preliminary damage estimate is pegged beyond $1 million.

Firefighters arrived to find a storage building on Sligo Road in Mount Forest engulfed by fire on June 4. Submitted photo

Half-an-hour later, around 3:18am, another call came in for a car fire at a residence in the area of Cork Street.

"Firefighters were able to knock the fire down before it got into the house extensively," Loos stated.

She added everyone was evacuated from the house and no injuries were reported.

The cause of that fire is also considered to be suspicious, according to police. A damage estimate is set at $50,000.

The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) was notified of the fires, but spokesperson Sean Driscoll told the Advertiser "assistance was not required, and the OFM will not be conducting a fire investigation."

According to the fire service, around 60 firefighters were involved in fighting the two fires.

They came from both Wellington North stations, as well as neighbouring services in Minto, Mapleton, West Grey, Southgate and Shelburne.