Basement fire at abandoned home on Hamilton Road under investigation

Fire investigators are returning to the scene on Hamilton Road following a basement fire at an abandoned home on Tuesday evening.

Emergency crews were called to a working fire in the basement of 256 Hamilton Rd. before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

“We have substantial damage to the lower part of the home. The basement was fully involved at the time of our arrival, as well as smoke migration through the rest of the home,” said Platoon Chief Gary Mosburger, adding that investigators are considering the fire suspicious in nature.

London police’s streets crime unit is leading the investigation. Police say damage is estimated around $100,000.

“There has been some history there with people unlawfully accessing the property. At this point, it is a police-led investigation,” Mosburger said.

He says crews had already knocked down a fire at the same property earlier in 2021.

“It was at an abandoned house. We had a fire there a few months ago, not in the house exactly, but in a shed space at the back of the property. So there is a bit of history there.”

The London Fire Department will be assisting with the investigation into the cause of fire.

Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal has been contact, there’s no confirmation yet on whether it will assist with the investigation.