No injuries were reported but five people have been displaced following a fire at a multi-unit building in the village of Norwood on Monday morning.
According to a release from the Township of Asphodel-Norwood, a structure fire broke out in the building which houses a Home Hardware building and apartments on County Road 45 in the heart of the village 32 kilometres east of Peterborough.
“The fire has been extinguished with all tenants safe and accounted for,” the township stated around 9 a.m.
Township mayor Rodger Bonneau says he owns the building. He said a fire broke out in an apartment unit on the upper floor. Fire crews were notified of the blaze around 4 a.m.
“Apartment number 2 – when the fire department arrived – was fully engulfed with a lot of heat and flames,” Bonneau told Global News Peterborough. “Everyone got out and was safe on the street. The fire department battled the fire back and saved the building.”
“No one was in that apartment at that time,” he added. “We’re not sure what happened or what went wrong.”
Asphodel-Norwood Mayor Rodger Bonneau owns the building.Two people were treated for minor smoke inhalation at the scene, according to firefighters.
Bonneau notes the Home Hardware sustained extensive water damage as a result of fighting the blaze.
The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to determine the cause of the fire, the township said.
Five people have been displaced and are receiving assistance from the Peterborough City-County Disaster Trust Fund.
A section of County Road 45 has since reopened but sidewalks remain closed. Bonneau says adjacent businesses (Ready and Reliable Laundromat and GP Wealth) will also be closed until further notice.
“A big thank you for the firefighters and their response,” the mayor said.
On Tuesday morning, Payne told Global News Peterborough that damage is estimated at $1 million. The fire marshal has completed an investigation at the scene.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said, noting it could be weeks or even months until the cause is determined.