www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, December 10, 2009 · 10 House was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived Continued from page 1 according to Oakville Fire Department Deputy Chief Brian Durdin. "The fire-damaged home was unoccupied at the time of the blaze. Additionally, an occupant of another temporary residence located on the property was alerted and evacuated by police. All persons and horses have been accounted for with no reported casualties or injuries," reported Halton police Staff Sgt. Anthony Odoardi. About 30 firefighters and five fire trucks from the Oakville department, as well as tanker trucks from the Burlington and Milton fire departments -- used to shuttle water to the fight the blaze -- were on scene. "The house was fully engulfed when we arrived," said Durdin. The home was not a designated heritage home, but was listed as a century home on a GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER AFTERMATH: An Oakville firefighter douses hot spots with foam and water Wednesday morning more than six hours after the Bertin Stables family home was destroyed by fire. Town of Oakville heritage register of potential heritage sites. Halton Regional Police estimate damage as a result of the fire at approximately $750,000. Firefighters and Neal agreed it was a large home. However, by 10 a.m., Durdin said the house had long since collapsed such that most of the structure and contents had fallen to the basement, making it difficult to extinguish the last burning embers. "We just keep pouring water into the open voids," said Durdin. Since the rural property is not in the water district, tankers were used to shuttle water to the property to fight the blaze. While such a practice is becoming less usual as Oakville's urban envelope expands, it is not uncommon on the still rural lands north of Dundas and didn't hamper the firefighting effort, said Durdin. Shock waves were hitting Neal as he arrived at his family homestead located just north of his own home and stable that sit on the south side of Dundas Street. In the wee hours, amid the season's first snow and later a pelting rain, he watched the home he grew up burn to the ground. "I was on the scene at 4:15 or 4:30. It was completely in flames, there was nothing we could do," he said. "I'm still in shock," said Neal. "All the family pictures, all the things, it's upsetting," he said, clearing his voice while referring to the family belongings lost in the blaze. "You can always build another house, right? But you can't replace that," he said. His parents have lived in the home for 38 years. "I was a month old when we moved in," said Neal. Durdin said the horses in the nearby stables were released into the field by firefighters and police when they arrived on scene. As the scene grew safer and the fire threat was no longer a factor to the horses, they were taken back into the stables. Fifteen firefighters from the Burlington Fire Department were the first to arrive on the scene and battle the flames. They were joined quickly by firefighters from Oakville. As the Oakville firefighters set up a portable pond, the tankers from Oakville, Burlington and Milton took turns shuttling water from a nearby hydrant and dumping it into the pond for use by the firefighters dousing the flames. Police closed Dundas Street West between 4:20 and 7:30 a.m. to both east and westbound traffic. Westbound lanes remained closed due to emergency vehicle use until after 9 a.m. Burlington Fire Department Platoon Chief Clint Smith said the Burlington tanker delivered three tanks of water before returning to its home station and the firefighters stayed on scene for a couple of hours, ultimately leaving the Oakville crews to work at extinguishing the final embers. Durdin was hopeful Oakville fire prevention officers would be able to begin the long task of clearing the damage in the basement by Wednesday afternoon in order to investigate the cause of the fire. They could not even start until the fire was extinguished, he said. Bertin Stables has been offering riding lessons, horse camps and boarding for 35 years. Customers of the stable who have enquiries can call Jim Bertin on the stables' barn line at 905-901-0248. $2.00 / 6 PACK $167 Good To Go Tire Used · Now In!New/Used Snow Tires Installation · Balancing · Rotation · Flat Repairs New · FREE old Tire Drop-off Off Road Tires USED TIRES starting at · Buff & Seal Rims · New/Used Rims · New Valves $ 36 each Now open 3485 Harvester Rd · unit 14 Burlington · 905-631-8473 w w w.goodtogotire.ca