Former Barrie councillor Peter Silveira's house nearly caught fire Monday afternoon, when a bench behind the home went up in flames.
Barrie Fire services say the fire broke out at the McAvoy Drive property in the early afternoon on Monday. They say the fire spread from the bench to a nearby fence, but that they were able to put it out before it moved to the house.
A neighbour tells CTV News he spotted the smoke behind the house and called 911. Another neighbour attempted to put out the fire with a garden hose before fire crews arrived.
"We responded for a suspected basement fire," says Acting Captain with Barrie Fire Services, Jason Sickel. "When I gained access to the backyard, I discovered it was a wooden bench on fire beside the barbeque."
Sickel went on to say, "The barbeque was off, and there was no involvement with or from the barbeque."
Fire crews say no one was home when the fire broke out.
CTV News spoke briefly with Silveira on Monday, who confirmed that the home was his. He was working out of town, and was on his way home to investigate.
Silveira was a councillor for Ward 5 in the city of Barrie from 2010-2018.
Fire crews are still investigating the cause of the fire.
