All it takes is a spark. From a sander. Or errant cigarette. And POW! Igniting common, flammable construction materials like wood, solvents, packaging, and gasoline and turning a work in progress to a pile of ash. It’s a powerful blow…
After her home burnt down, a homeowner tried to get the proposed rebuild to fit the quotation of an insurer, contributing to a breakdown in the relationship between the homeowner and the contractor. The dispute led to a lawsuit to…
ROSTHERN, Sask. – The damage estimate is expected to run into the millions of dollars after a fire tore through a large central Saskatchewan farm machinery dealership. Emergency crews were called to Cervus Equipment John Deere in Rosthern just before…
BRANDON, Man. – A massive blaze that burned through historic buildings in downtown Brandon last month caused about $25 million in damages and police now say it may have been started by people. Fire crews were called to the Christie’s…
COLE HARBOUR, N.S. – Fire flared up again near a popular hiking trail in Cole Harbour, N.S., as crews continued to try to put out hotspots and quench the remnants of a large blaze that forced the evacuation of dozens…
ALPHA, N.J. – New Jersey authorities say a dog started a fire when it accidentally turned on an electric stove. The German shepherd and another dog were alone in the Alpha, New Jersey, home when the fire broke out late…
A trucking and excavation company in Nova Scotia is immune from tort liability because it was acting under orders from the local fire department in a botched attempt to demolish a burning building, a Nova Scotia court has ruled. The…
Fancy kitchen faucets that start and stop with a wave of the hand–or a feline paw–have contributed to some curious flood claims. In his presentation about appliance fires and flood claims, Mazen Habash, president of forensic engineering firm Origin and…
Fire claims investigations can certainly highlight life’s ironies. Consider the case of the firefighters who were called out to a blaze one day at about 3 p.m., only to return to the station and find a fire blazing in their…
There were no working smoke alarms in a southern Ontario home where four people were killed in a fire this week, an investigator said Wednesday, calling the deaths a “preventable tragedy.” A mother and her two young children, and an…
Imagine the evacuation order has been issued, and you have an hour to gather your family, emergency supplies and head to a designated safety zone or an evacuation centre. What do you take when your life is disrupted? For many…
Officials in Ohio say a 13-year-old boy trying to kill a bed bug sparked an apartment building fire that displaced eight people and caused $300,000 in damage in Cincinnati, AP reported. Officials say the fire was reported around 11 p.m.…