Wood stove was cause of fatal fire

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that a basement wood-burning stove was the source of a house fire on Nova Scotia Line in the early-morning hours of Monday, Dec. 20, that resulted in the death of Ken Jones.

His wife Linda escaped the fire by climbing down a tree from a second-storey window.

The fire marshal’s office, in a statement Friday, Dec. 24, also found that the house had no working smoke alarms.

The OFM reminded everyone to have fuel-burning appliances inspected regularly by a trained technician, and to ensure a working smoke alarm was on every floor of a home. The alarm should be tested monthly and batteries changed annually.

Alarms should also be replaced every 10 years, go ensure all occupants were alerted in case of a fire.