A home in Hamilton Township was destroyed by fire last night.
Firefighters, including those from Hamilton Township, Alnwick/Haldimand and Port Hope, were called to the house on Burnham Street North just before 11:00 p.m.
According to “Today’s Northumberland” the blaze was already raging in the basement, main level and roof area, with the steel roof on the home giving firefighters some trouble in getting to the flames.
Frigid temperatures were also an issue, with Chief Kelly Serson telling the paper that a dry hydrant had likely frozen and tanker trucks had to shuttle water back and forth from another location.
Investigators believe the home owner was trying to start a fire in an outside chimney with gasoline, but it ignited part of the inside of the home, leading to the massive blaze.
Damage is estimated in excess of $500,000.
