MILLS—It was fortunate that no one was injured when a fire destroyed a home in Burpee and Mills Township in the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 3.

“The house was fully engaged in flames when we got there,” stated Rick Graham, Burpee and Mills fire chief, of the blaze that took place at 375 Scott Road in Mills, at a home originally owned by John and Laura Scott (both deceased) and now owned by Dave and Doug Scott. “There was not a lot we could do except to protect the surrounding buildings.”

Mr. Graham said the Burpee and Mills volunteer fire department received notice of the fire shortly after 1 am on January 3. “There were only two people in the house at the time of the fire.”

“One of the fellows in the house, Doug Scott, who was upstairs, woke up and started coughing, realizing it was from smoke caused by the fire,” said Mr. Graham. “He began hollering at his brother to wake him up so he could also exit the house. They got out of the house with the clothes on their back and went to a neighbour’s (also members of the Scott family) to call 911.”

Mr. Graham said when the Burpee and Mills firefighters arrived on scene, the flames were moving up one side of the house. “I think the cause of the fire was electrical. The steel roof came down on top of everything. The house was made of wood and collapsed into the basement.”

The old house also had a garage and woodshed adjacent to it. “Once the house caught fire and spread to the outbuildings the fire went through the building quickly,” said Mr. Graham. The flames also melted off the front of a truck that one of the two men owned. “The house is totally gone.”

“The Burpee and Mills Fire Department had to wait for Hydro One to arrive to turn off the power to the house, and the latter arrived very quickly,” said Mr. Graham. “I had called the Central Manitoulin Volunteer Fire Department as we were on our way to the fire, to assist in putting the fire out, but once I saw the situation I told them to stand down. One of their trucks and a couple of (firefighters) showed up to help out.”

The firefighters were on the scene of the blaze until about 10 am Wednesday morning.