Couple displaced after fire destroys home near Arthur

Firefighters battle blaze in blizzard From CTV Kitchener's Krista Sharpe: Fire crews were busy on Monday night, battling a blaze in Arthur during a snowstorm.

KITCHENER — It was a busy night for fire crews in northern Wellington County on Monday.

Fire forced a couple out of their home near Arthur, with the house considered a write-off.

Wellington North Fire Chief Chris Harrow said that flames were coming out of the second storey of the Kenilworth home when crews arrived just before 7 p.m.

"It was fully involved with fire coming out the windows of the second storey already upon our arrival," Harrow said. "It had a good hold on the structure before we got there."

Fire crews called in help from departments in Minto and Grand Valley.

The couple was able to escape without injury.

"The first filled the house so fast," Harrow said. "They were in another building on the property waiting for us on arrival."

The homeowners said they are staying with family for the time being.

Harrow said that the cold and snow wreaked havoc on their efforts to fight the fire.

Some firefighters stayed overnight to keep an eye on hotspots.

"The cold temperatures tend to freeze up our nozzles at different times," Harrow said. "But, also the amount of water that we apply to the structure, it freezes and that added weight to the structure can lead to collapses that we're not usually used to or that we have to definitely watch for."

The cause is still under investigation, but Harrow said crews believe it was accidental.