A Stonesthrow Crescent fire damaged a large rural Uxbridge home Tuesday evening. No one was injured as Uxbridge and Stouffville crews responded to the scene.
Uxbridge Fire and Emergency Services received the call at about 5:20 p.m. on September 8, according to reporting by DurhamRegion.com. The home is on Stonesthrow Crescent in the Goodwood area, close to the boundary between the two municipalities.
Stouffville firefighters reached the property first because they were closer to the address, Uxbridge chief fire prevention officer Ken Maynard told the publication. Uxbridge crews also responded to the scene.
Firefighters faced flames through the roof
A field report posted while crews were working said flames were visible through the roof when firefighters arrived. The response shifted to defensive operations, a tactic that keeps crews outside a structure when conditions make an interior attack unsafe.
The available reports indicate the fire likely began in the attic. Officials had not publicly identified a specific cause in the information available Friday, and no damage estimate was reported.
The most important outcome was that nobody was hurt. The incident nevertheless caused substantial damage to the large detached home and required a coordinated response from two municipal fire services.
Cross-boundary response in Goodwood
Goodwood is in the western part of the Township of Uxbridge, near Whitchurch-Stouffville. The location meant the closest available apparatus came from the neighbouring municipality before the local Uxbridge response arrived.
Such cross-boundary assistance allows emergency services to send the closest crews when time matters, while additional firefighters and equipment continue toward the scene. In this case, both services were involved in bringing the Stonesthrow Crescent fire under control.
Residents should continue to keep working smoke alarms on every level of a home and outside sleeping areas. Ontario fire-safety guidance also recommends testing alarms monthly and replacing devices according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
No further public update on the cause or damage estimate had been released as of early Saturday.
