Fire and suspected Waterdown house explosion causes $1M in damages

A suspected explosion and fire has caused nearly $1 million in severe damages to a home and two vehicles in Waterdown early Friday morning.

Hamilton Fire Chief Dave Cunliffe says the fire broke out shortly before 7 a.m. at a home located at 659 Highway 6 between Concession 4 West and Concession 5 West.

First responders arrived to heavy fire coming from the back of the two-storey home. The blaze spread throughout the wooden-framed house and to two vehicles in the driveway at the back of the property.

Firefighters were able to stop the fire from reaching the nearby garage.

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Crews also reported that the south wall of the home had been blown out and live hydro wires were down on the front yard.

“Given the amount of involvement and large volume of fire, the incident commander made the decision that defensive firefighting operations would be deployed and the fire would be fought from the exterior of the building,” Cunliffe says.

While the main portion of the fire was brought under control within 30 minutes, Cunliffe says it took most of the morning to extinguish spot fires and hot spots.

Investigators say the residents of the home are currently out of town.

Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal and the Technical Safety Standards Association has been notified.

A portion of Highway 6 was closed but has since reopened.

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