Fire crews battle blaze at Muskoka Lakes boathouse

Fire crews battled a blaze at a Muskoka Lakes, Ont., boathouse during the early morning hours of Wednesday.

Officials said the fire occurred at a property on Mortimers Point Road and that the boathouse was difficult to access because of a snowy driveway.

“We attended. Upon arrival, our people saw a fully-involved building, which actually turned out to be (a) boathouse, which was connected to the cottage,” Muskoka Lakes fire chief Ryan Murrell told Global News.

“(Firefighters) affected a good defensive perimeter around that building in order to protect the cottage. By that time, the boathouse was fully consumed.”

Murrell said 24 firefighters put out the Wednesday morning blaze in five hours.

There were no occupants on the property at the time of the fire and no firefighters were injured while extinguishing the flames.

The cause of the fire is unknown and isn’t considered suspicious.

“This time of year, most likely, it’s electrical, but you really can’t tell,” Murrell said. “It could have been anything.”

The Muskoka Lakes fire chief said the property owner was last up at the cottage on Monday. He said seasonal property owners should make sure they clear out their laneways so firefighters can access their properties if needed.

“Get somebody to check on your property, make sure all the things aren’t snow-covered,” Murrell said.