Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services responded to three residential fires over the weekend, with one suspicious and another resulting in a resident being sent to hospital. The fires occurred within a span of less than 24 hours in different areas of the city. Suspicious early morning fire The first call came in shortly before 3 a.m. on Saturday for a fire in the 300 block of Wellington Street East. “Upon arrival, there was significant smoke visible from the residential structure,” said Aaron Gravelle, the public education officer for Sault Fire Services, in a news release issued Monday. The blaze was in an unoccupied residential dwelling. Fire crews were able to contain and extinguish the flames. Utilities providers PUC Services and Enbridge Gas were also called to the scene. After an investigation, the fire was determined to be suspicious in nature and the scene was turned over to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. “There is significant fire and smoke damage to the dwelling,” said fire officials. No injuries were reported in this incident. Second Saturday fire sends resident to hospital Just more than five hours later, at about 8 a.m. on Sept. 13, firefighters were called to a blaze in the 100 block of Sutton Place. “Upon arrival, smoke and flames were visible from the second storey of the semi-detached residential structure,” said the fire service. Crews were also able to contain and snuff out the fire, although its cause has been deemed undetermined. “There is fire and smoke damage to the second storey area of the dwelling,” said Gravelle. One resident of the dwelling was taken to hospital for treatment. Third fire hits vacant Wellington Street home Sunday morning just after 2 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to another fire on Wellington Street East, this time in its 700 block. The structure was a vacant residential dwelling. “Upon arrival, there was visible fire and significant smoke from the vacant residential structure,” said Gravelle. The fire was contained and extinguished by firefighter crews. The cause of the blaze also remains undetermined. “There is significant fire and smoke damage to the dwelling,” the release said. No injuries were reported in relation to this incident. Officials didn’t provide damage estimates for any of the structures.
