Northside senior centre damaged in blaze
Fire at Johnston Avenue facility was limited to one unit due to quick response, says fire department; fire was electrical in nature, and investigation revealed it was accidental
It took firefighters about half an hour to get a blaze at a senior centre on Fredericton north side under control Wednesday night, the Fredericton Fire Department reports.
The fire department issued a news release Thursday afternoon about an incident late Wednesday.
“The fire broke out shortly after 11:30 p.m. at the Johnston Avenue Senior Centre,” the release said.
“Firefighters controlled the fire shortly after 12 a.m. The damage was limited to one unit inside the building, and a section of the attic space above the fire. The area was cleared at 1:30 a.m.”
No one was injured in the incident, the fire department reported.
Assistant deputy fire chief David McKinley told the Fredericton Independent on Thursday that the investigation into the blaze was complete.
“... The cause was electrical in nature, and therefore an accidental fire,” he wrote in an email.
“The fire was contained within the wall and burned off some structural members and wiring, but the fire alarm system notified us before it was able to break through to the walls or roof.”
He said workers with the city are already on the job to get the senior centre back into operation.
“The quick action of our members, combined with the early alert from the smoke alarm was key in preventing what could have been a much more dire outcome,” McKinley said in the release.
“This incident underscores the importance of having functioning, monitored smoke alarms.”
Twenty firefighters manning five pieces of equipment were dispatched to the blaze, it said and among the personnel was a fire investigator.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.