Cause under investigation in fire on roof of former McCormick factory

A fire on the roof of the vacant, former McCormick-Beta Brands factory in east London on Tuesday is being treated by city police as suspicious.

More than 20 firefighters responded to the scene on Dundas Street around 3:10 p.m., following a call from the member of the public.

Without even leaving the ramp of their Florence Street fire station, Platoon Chief Andy Britton said firefighters could see flames and heavy smoke coming from the very top of the building.

Britton said crews gained access to the roof of the building and cut into it to determine whether the fire had extended elsewhere.

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The wooden structure that caught fire was part of the original building, Britton said. “This would probably be one of the last wooden structures that would be in the building itself.”

While the cause of the fire is not yet known, the fact that utilities have been shut off to the building for several years — the property has sat vacant for at least a decade — Britton said the fire looks suspicious.

A fire inspector attended the scene Tuesday afternoon, and the Ontario Fire Marshal has been notified of the fire. Investigators with London police will also be involved to determine whether or not the fire was deliberately set, Britton said.

A London police spokesperson confirmed they were treating the fire as suspicious.

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Britton said small fires set on concrete floors by people looking to stay warm have been a common occurrence at the property. A manned door at the very top of the building was found open by fire crews, he said.

“That would be one means of access, but this building has been plagued with these sorts of things,” he said, referring to the remnants of small fires, and needles, that can be found in the building. “It’s been a problem for quite some time.”

No injuries were reported in the fire, and damage itself was confined to the wooden structure. “Given that it was vacant, I don’t even know if there’s a dollar value anyone would attach to it,” Britton said.

The former factory has stood vacant since its closure in 2008 after nearly a century of operation.

Recently, Woodstock-based Sierra Construction — who purchased the entire 71-acre site from the city for $1 in 2014 after its previous owner failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes — has been working to clean up the property and turn it into a large mixed-use development.