RCMP rule early morning Moncton house fire accidental

UPDATE: Fire inspectors originally deemed the fire as suspicious in nature on Monday. RCMP confirmed Tuesday the fire was accidental.

An electrical fire that destroyed a Moncton home early Monday morning on Erinvale Drive has been ruled as accidental by RCMP.

When four fire trucks and 16 firefighters arrived on the scene at about 7 a.m., fire crews said all three floors of the home were engulfed in flames.

Firefighters rushed inside the burning structure to fight the blaze from the inside.

But as they tore down walls and ceilings to get at the fire, the heat and flames became too intense, said Moncton Platoon Chief Brian Gaudet.

“Once the fire in the concealed spaces made its way into the attic. we were overwhelmed and it was no longer safe to have firefighters working on the interior,” Gaudet said.

Nearby resident Denis Richard and his girlfriend were on their way to the gym when they spotted fire and smoke shooting out of the roof of the home. Richard said they immediately called 911 worried someone might be inside.

“We smashed and kind of screamed inside to make sure no one was sleeping,” Richard said.

Fortunately no one was inside the home when the fire broke out, according to Gaudet.

Dave Slade is a neighbour and friend of the couple who owns the home.

“They are luckily down in Florida right now so we thought that nobody was in the house, which is apparently the case. So at least nobody got hurt.”

Slade said he is grateful that his friends were not injured in the fire.  But fire crews say the home is a complete loss.

“The house is done, I guess, so I guess they are going to be staying down in Florida for a while now,” Slade said.