Investigators are still trying to determine how a fire started at a home being rented by university students in Waterloo on Sunday.
The office of the fire marshal was on scene investigating on Monday. They believe it started somewhere outside of the building, near the carport. But they are still determining whether the fire is suspicious.
“The intentionally set fire is still a viable option at this point until we work through everything and then make some kind of determination,” Mike Ross, an investigator with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office said.
Emergency crews were called to the address on Albert Street around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday.
A City of Waterloo bylaw officer was driving near the area when they noticed smoke and flames coming from the property.
Investigators screened through materials on Monday to try and determine what sparked the fire.
“We kind of got a generalized area of where the fire has originated, we’ve screened through all the materials there, we've looked at it, we know it’s there. So now we’re in the process to refining it down to a smaller area,” Ross said.
Fire investigators said only a small section of the roof of the house was compromised by the fire, and there is some smoke and water damage inside, but the home is still liveable.
The home where the fire started was being rented by five University of Waterloo Students.
According to the school, each student is receiving emergency housing accommodations for the time being.
“I’m really pleased to say that we were able to extend that emergency accommodation until the end of the month. We’ll make sure that these students have a place to live until they can make new arrangements,” Nick Manning, the associate vice-president of communication for the University of Waterloo said.
The University of Waterloo is also providing gift cards to help cover food costs and is offering mental health services for the students.
“Members of our senior team have made sure to reach out to all of the effected students here to make sure that they’ve got the necessities of life over this really difficult period for them,” Manning said.
While a cause is still being determined, the City of Waterloo said the home did have the proper permits and was properly inspected.
The City said with the next school semester around the corner, students are encouraged to check for a rental licence when searching for a place to rent.
“We certainly encourage all of our students to go online to my permits to see if there are licenses for any property they may consider renting,” Nicole Papke, the director of municipal enforcement services for the City of Waterloo said.
Fire officials said there were working smoke alarms in the home and are still trying to pinpoint what happened.
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