Media Releases

Fire destroys Standish Street home

A home on the outskirts of Amherst was destroyed by fire early Saturday morning.

The alarm was turned in just after 3:10 a.m. on April 18.

Firefighters driving to the scene on Standish Street could see a golden glow in the night sky from two kilometres away. When they arrived, they found a one-storey home engulfed in flames that were shooting10 metres into the sky. Dense grey smoke filled with sparks lofted even higher.

Twenty firefighters from the Amherst Fire Department fought the blaze, initially from the outside, then from the inside. Those entering the building were hidden by the dense smoke just a couple of steps inside the doors.

They were assisted by several firefighters from the Truemanville Volunteer Fire Department.

The home’s roof caved in about an hour into the battle, and firefighters had to pull down sections of the outside walls to get at the stubborn blaze.

Firefighters were on the scene for 3.5 hours. A section of Standish Street, a U-shaped street located on the outskirts of Amherst in the Municipality of Cumberland, was blocked off for most of that time.

“The building is a total loss,” said Amherst Fire Chief Greg Jones. “The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire and none of our firefighters were injured fighting the fire.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but is being investigated by the local department.