Hay River house gutted by blaze
No injuries in fire, says fire chief
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, March 7, 2016
HAY RIVER
An early-morning fire on Feb. 27 severely damaged a house in Hay River.
According to Hay River Fire Chief Ross Potter, the residence may be beyond repair as a result of the blaze.
"I would say that the inside of the house is totalled," he said. "I would suggest it's going to be a complete loss. It doesn't look like it from the outside but definitely the inside is burnt really badly."
Potter said there were no injuries as a result of the fire.
As he describes the incident, the couple living in the house returned home from being out and discovered it was burning.
The fire department was called to the blaze at about 3 a.m. and was on scene for close to five hours.
Potter estimated the cost of the damage to the house is in the area of $250,000 or more.
However, he said the property was insured.
Potter said the fire was caused by a chimney on a wood stove.
"The pipes got so hot that it caught the ceiling of the basement on fire and into the second floor," he said.
The fire chief said the incident should be a warning to all homeowners to check and clean their chimneys.
