Pembroke – Firefighters from Laurentian Valley (LV) Township were out battling another vacant house fire early Tuesday that was located in very close proximity to another vacant house that burned earlier this year.

Fire Chief Tim Sutcliffe said the department was dispatched to the structure fir at 1024 Pembroke St. East at 2:46 a.m., which is basically beside a property on Robinson Lane, where another house burned on January 26.

“It was basically the same time as the other one,” Chief Sutcliffe told the Leader Tuesday afternoon. “It’s the next house to it”

 The fire was spotted by Leader freelance photographer, Mike Yeas, and a friend, Ryan Quenneville, and while Mr. Quenneville called it in, Mr. Yeas went to a neighbouring home to determine if anyone was in the burning structure and was told there was not.

He said when personnel arrived on scene the rear of the residence was fully involved.

“The flames were coming out the back of the house,” he explained. “The guys did a good job to stop it.

“It got up to the attic part, but we stopped it there,” he added. “We got inside and we stopped it in the eaves. But it definitely started on the outside of the house.”

He said like the one on Robinson Lane it too was unoccupied. Chief Sutcliffe believes it too was scheduled to be torn down.

“There was no hydro in the building, there was nothing to cause it,” he said. “It definitely started on the outside wall at the back.

“It was definitely someone doing something,” he added.

However, he does not believe the fire was intentionally set and was likely caused by someone who had sought shelter in the building.

“It was the porch on the back of the house and that’s where they we’re probably staying. The police are doing an investigation.”      

He said the department had 14 personnel and all of its equipment for three-and-a-half hours.

“We really only used our pumper because there was a hydrant there,” he said.

  He said there were no other structures threatened. Firefighters were notified enroute to the blaze by OPP the building was vacant.