Barn fire in northeast London deemed suspicious, police are investigating

London police say members of its street crime unit are investigating a suspicious fire in the city’s northeast end that engulfed a barn.

Emergency crews were called to Fanshawe Park Road East near Stackhouse Avenue, west of Highbury Avenue North, just after 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The structure was completely engulfed, with flames visible from nearby homes and heavy dark smoke billowing high into the air.

The fire department said the response involved hand lines and aerial operations to knock down the blaze, and Fanshawe Park Road East was closed at Stackhouse Avenue for “hydrant/water relay operation.”

By 10:40 p.m., the fire department said its members had cleared the area and roads had reopened.

No injuries were reported and a damage estimate is not yet available, but police said Thursday morning that “the fire was deemed to be suspicious in nature.”