Ontario Fire Marshal's Office investigating a fatal fire near Greenbank

DAN CEARNS, The Standard

SCUGOG: The Ontario Fire Marshal's office is investigating a fire at a residence near Greenbank over the Victoria Day weekend.

The fire occurred at a residence, at 21250 Highway 7/12, in Scugog on Sunday, May 21st.

"Late Sunday evening, firefighters extinguished a basement fire and sadly recovered one occupant. On behalf of [the Scugog Fire Department], I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and those impacted by this tragic event," Fire Chief Mark Berney wrote, in an online Twitter post.

In an email, Chief Berney told The Standard, "Damage estimates are still to be determined."

While it is unclear whether the home had working alarms, Chief Berney stressed the importance of smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms following this tragic incident. "Smoke alarms and CO alarms save lives. Have working alarms as required by law for your dwelling and have a practised escape plan."

As of press time, there is no information available about the victim of the fire. A Durham Regional Police spokesperson merely confirmed a "person was located deceased" at the residence, and pointed out the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office was leading the investigation.

With Durham Regional Police being the first agency to investigate the scene, the Fire Marshal's office started their investigation on Friday, May 26th.

"It is still too early to make any determinations at this time. I can say that the [Ontario Fire Marshal] has not prescribed any time frame to complete an investigation, and as all cases are unique, it is difficult to assess when the investigation is expected to be complete," Fire Marshal's office spokesperson Sean Driscoll said.