Firefighters estimate about $350,000 worth of damage following an early morning blaze on Sunday at a downtown Hamilton building in a residential area.
The fire, which started just after midnight on Feb. 27, damaged a two-storey residence recently converted to commercial use housing a medical services facility on John Street South between Forest and Charlton streets.
Fire Chief Dave Cunliffe said the blaze likely started in a crawl space and spread to the walls, ceilings and eventually the roof.
“This was a very stubborn, labour intensive fire, as the structure had been subject to a significant amount of compartmentalization for its former use,” Cunliffe said in an e-mail.
“It took over 50 firefighters and over four hours to extinguish.”
Cunliffe said the building was empty and there were no reported injuries.
The cause has not been determined.