Another abandoned farm house burns down in Puslinch

Provincial police in Wellington County are investigating yet another suspicious fire after an abandoned farm house was destroyed by flames in Puslinch Township.

The fire happened at an unoccupied two-storey, wooden house along Concession 2 between Concession 7 and Concession 2a at about 4:52 p.m. on Sunday evening. 

Firefighters from four local fire departments managed to put out the flames in under 4 hrs, but not before the building was gutted by fire, Puslinch Fire Chief Steve Goode said.

"Upon arrival, the fire was in every level of the home and through the roof of the structure, and there was a large grass fire, too," Goode said. "So they had to deal with the grass fire immediately surrounding the property, which took some time."

By the time firefighters got to the house, Good said the house was collapsing in on itself. He was responding to another emergency about 12 kilometres away and could see a black plume of smoke rising into the air.

Sunday's fire is the latest in a rash of suspicious fires that have been erupting at abandoned buildings throughout Wellington County since last fall. 

Goode said there are some differences between this fire and the others in the area, although he wouldn't give any details.

"We're not linking them together, but we understand that there is an issue going on within Wellington County as far as suspicious fires go," he said.

The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating the fire together with the Puslinch Fire Department.

Timeline of suspicious fires

This is a timeline of fires at abandoned buildings in and around Guelph and Wellington county: 

• Saturday, Sept. 24 – Fire at an abandoned house on 16th Line in Mapleton Township.
• Friday, Oct. 14 at 6:05 a.m. – Fire at abandoned farmhouse on the Third Line of Guelph-Eramosa Township.
• Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 5:30 a.m. – Fire at an abandoned farmhouse on the Third Line of Guelph-Eramosa Township.
• Friday, Oct. 28 at 5:52 a.m. – Fire at a vacant home on Arkell Road near the Nassagaweya-Puslinch Townline in Puslich Twp.
• Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 2 a.m. – Fire at a sawmill on Sixth Line, east of Fergus, destroys several palettes of hardwood.
• Friday, Nov. 18 – Fire at a vacant cabin located approximately one kilometre from the roadway near Wellington Road 29 and Barden Street, Guelph-Eramosa Township. The building was completely destroyed sometime between Nov. 15 and Nov. 18 and the charred remains were found by the owner.
• Monday, Dec. 5 at 1:19 a.m. – Fire at an abandoned shed and barn at 604 Silvercreek Pkwy N., Guelph. The property is owned by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. At 3:36 a.m., a second fire is discovered at an abandoned bar south of Guelph on Fife Road.
• Friday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. – a large shed was discovered on fire at the site of the former Royal City Nursery in Guelph, 305 Woodlawn Rd W. It appeared the building was being used by squatters and there was a wood stove being used inside the shed.
• Thursday, Jan. 19 at 3:15 a.m. – Fire at historic Hortop's Mill near Everton, Ont.
• Friday, Feb. 3 at 3 a.m. – Fire at an abandoned golf driving range building on Highway 7 west of Guelph. While on scene, a second fire at an abandoned barn and house on Township Road 3, just east of the driving range, is noticed. A car was seen driving away from the area where the house and barn were destroyed by fire.
• Monday, Feb. 6 at 8:52 a.m. – Fires are discovered in the basement of two homes at Ross Street and Wellington Road 7 in Elora. They are small and quickly extinguished.
• Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 4:16 a.m. – A large stack of straw bales was discovered fully engulfed in flames near Erin.
• Sunday, March 5 at 4:30 a.m. – A passing motorist spots a fire at an abandoned building on Queen Street in Morriston, south of Guelph.
• Sunday, March 12 at 8:55 p.m. – Renovation materials and a tree are reported to be on fire on a vacant property. The empty home on the First Line West Garafraxa property was not damaged.