Fire has caused extensive damage to an abandoned home on Champlain Street.
Dieppe Fire Chief Marc Cormier says they arrived at around 9 pm Tuesday night and found heavy smoke coming from the residence.
“Fire crews quickly located and suppressed the fire. Property owners were aware and on scene.”
They were on the scene for around two hours to ensure the fire was fully extinguished. Traffic was rerouted for two hours.
“The building itself is still standing. You can hardly see any damage from the outside aside from the boards that are on the doors and windows. Inside, structurally the building has sustained significant damage.” Cormier says.
He adds the fire is considered to be suspicious and it is under investigation.
“The RCMP were on scene all night securing the scene until the fire investigator arrived this morning,” Cormier says.
Fires in abandoned homes are not a regular occurrence for the Dieppe Fire Department, but Cormier says it is becoming more common.
“Last night was one of our first occurrences of this nature. Luckily, we don’t see what our neighbouring city of Moncton is seeing daily. However, we are seeing a slight increase in activities in the area especially around Champlain and Paul. Dieppe Fire Department did respond to a number of incidents in the last year related to illicit activities, and homelessness. We are working with our by-law enforcement division, building inspectors and other partners to ensure we provide a safe area for everyone. That includes boarding up buildings is one of them, and doing routine inspections or drive-bys to ensure the boards are in place,” Cormier adds.
He says there were no visible signs of forcible entry in this case, so they are trying to determine how the person got inside.
An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.
