Families homeless after fire ravages Angus townhomes

An early morning fire on Monday in Essa Township has left several townhomes with extensive damage.

Crews responded around 4:30 a.m. to a fire spreading through three units on Parkside Dr. in Angus.

Essa Fire Chief Doug Burgin said the fire extended to two attic units.

"Four families have been displaced and are being looked after by the Red Cross," said Burgin.

"I'm devastated. I think everyone is too, knowing that this has happened, and their whole lives have been destroyed," said neighbour Jhacoba Kerr.

One of the displaced families is Braun Hause, his wife and their 16-month-old daughter.

"We have food," Hause said. "We have some clothes, and we are trying to make things as normal as possible for our little baby girl."

Burgin said until the units can be assessed by insurance adjusters and Essa's building department, Burgin said he believes that two of the units are unliveable. A third is in a questionable state.

He said two townhomes could "possibly be able to be brought back to liveable status."

However, the units can't be occupied because there is no hydro or natural gas supply.

"We are putting the damage estimate at $2.5 to $3 million for all five units," Burgin said.

Essa Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Gary McNamara said crews found the fire started "with improper use of wood-burning appliance on the rear deck."

With files from CTV's Ian Duffy