Aylmer house fire causes $350,000 in damages

A structure fire at 144 Sydenham Street West in Aylmer caused an estimated $350,000 in losses on Thursday, March 11.

One person was upstairs in the house when the fire started, but quickly escaped. No one was injured. The Aylmer Fire Department firefighters were dispatched at 5:53 p.m. and arrived on scene eight minutes later.

“There were flames coming out of basement and main floor when they arrived,” said Aylmer Fire Chief Sam Taylor.

Water was applied to the structure at 6:04 p.m. The department used an aerial truck and broke open windows with a fire axe to ventilate the roof. There was plenty of smoke in the area, which drew in dozens of spectators.

No mutual aid departments were called in. 21 out of the department’s 26 firefighters were on scene. Chief Taylor considered this a good turnout, and attributed that to the timing of the incident.

Erie Thames Powerlines (ERTH) and EPCOR utilities were on scene to shut down gas and utilities. There was an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) unit on standby in case of any injuries.

Firefighters were back at the station at 10:11 p.m., with some back sooner. Others stayed on scene until the insurance restoration company arrived to assess damages.

The fire originated in the basement and was believed to be caused by an electric bike plugged into an extension cord.

“It could have been anything – a charger malfunction, or an electrical short on the bike,” said Chief Taylor.