A man was killed in a house fire Saturday near Coldwater.
On Saturday morning, a passerby saw smoke coming from a home on Line 9 North near Moonstone Road, and called 911.
Oro-Medonte Fire Chief Hugh Murray said the call came in at about 10:20 a.m. He said firefighters from Moonstone and Warminster stations responded with tankers from Horseshoe Valley and Rugby stations.
When they arrived, they found a "fully involved structure fire," said Murray.
He said it took about an hour to get the blaze under control.
When a body was discovered, the Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) and the Orillia OPP were contacted, noted Murray.
Steven Wilson, the assistant deputy fire marshal, said the OFM dispatched two investigators, a specialist and a supervisor to the scene. They were there until darkness fell and will be back on the scene this morning to continue their investigation.
Wilson said the investigators will be going through the approximately 1,000-square-foot house to determine the cause and origin of the fire.
He said “it’s too early” in the investigation to know what happened, adding the house was a "total loss."
He said OFM investigators will comb through the debris, paying special attention to wood stoves, gas fireplaces, appliances and other potential causes.
“The idea is to eliminate any potential sources. It could be careless smoking, it could be intentional - although there is nothing at this point to suggest that,” Wilson told OrilliaMatters.
He did note almost half of all calls the OFM investigates are “criminal in nature.”
He said a drone will be used to capture video and still photographs of the inside of the structure to help assist the investigation.
Wilson said their probe could be concluded today, but said it could take longer.
Murray said the OFM, OPP and Oro-Medonte Fire Department are investigating the blaze. He pegged damages at $200,000 and said no other information is available at this point.
