Fort Erie fire fed by winds

The wild winds are being blamed for sparking a fire in the Niagara Peninsula that destroyed a house Monday night.

Two families are now homeless as a result of that blaze.

About 6 last evening wind gusts pulled wires from the hydro stack at a house on Albert Street in Fort Erie. A blast of sparks ignited the fire. It was further fueled by the wind and spread rapidly through the house.

People living in the downstairs noticed flashes on the outside, called 911, and fled the building.

The upstairs residents weren’t home The fire department saved their pets. Paramedics resuscitated a kitten the flames spread and melted siding on the house next door.

Fort Erie Fire Department Chief Larry Coplen: “We we able to knock the fire down pretty quickly. We we’re notified early on in the fire. However, the house downwind from it sustained significant damage because of the wind blowing the heat right at the house.”

Damage to both buildings is pegged at $220,000 the wind caused.

Havoc across Niagara last night. The winds ripped flashing from this new development at Casablanca and the QEW in Grimsby and smashed a motel sign in Niagara Falls.

There were arcing power lines. Some trees knocked down. But overall, given the intensity of the gusts, damage was minor.