Hamilton police investigating possible arson after barn fire near Cambridge

Fire near Cambridge causes extensive damage A large barn fire just east of Cambridge destroyed several vehicles and left investigators with lots of questions. Tyler Kelaher reports.

Police are investigating a barn fire that happened Wednesday just outside of Cambridge.

Hamilton police say they were called to the area of Highway 8 and Safari Road shortly after 4 p.m.

The Hamilton Fire Department were on scene for several hours to extinguish the flames. Crews shuttled water in all evening to help fight it.

"In a very short time the fire had consumed enough of the building where a defensive strategy was employed," a fire official told CTV News in an email. "From responsible parties on site it was confirmed that no one was in the building."

A tractor trailer and boat were parked nearby. The fire caused the roof of the barn to collapse, with motorcycles and other vehicles stored inside.

“It looked like some sort of garage where they were working on vehicles and motorcycles,” Det. Greg Blunsdon told CTV News.

The Hamilton Fire Department says the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and estimates damages to be around $200,000.

No injuries were reported to civilians, but fire officials say one firefighter suffered a minor injury.

Police suspect illegal activity may have been involved.

“It was determined that the fire was possible suspicious and possibly related to an arson,” Det. Blunsdon said. “Investigators attended the scene and processed the scene. At this time we are still investigating.”

On Thursday, Hamilton police flew a remote piloted drone over the property and expect to clear the scene by the end of the day.

“It’s still too early right now to make any determination of where the investigation is going and whether arrests will be made,” Det. Blunsdon said.

The Ontario Fire Marshal was notified of the investigation, but did not respond to the scene.