Another fire in Farnham last night struck a business and two residences at 180 Rue Principale Ouest. The Friperie Brume has been destroyed and two adults and a child have lost their homes.
Patrick Morin, director of the Service de sécurité incendie de Farnham, estimates roughly forty firefighters from seven towns responded to the call. “The cold did not help but we had support from several towns. We were able to establish a rotation, so we could warm up.”
Valérie Beauchamp, spokesperson for the Sureté du Québec, confirms officers were called to a suspicious fire in a business and adjoining duplex around 11:30 p.m., and specialists are on site gathering evidence to determine the causes and circumstances that lead to the incident. No injuries are reported, and the affected residents have been relocated to be with friends.
This is the fourth fire to strike the community since Dec. 26. Calls for support and rumours are circulating on social media as the locals rally to help and struggle to make sense of the flurry of tragedies.
In the early morning hours of Boxing Day, ten people lost their homes following an electrical fire that destroyed four residences in three tightly packed buildings at the corner of Rue Saint-Jean and Rue Saint-Joseph. No residents or firefighters were injured.
On Dec. 29 around 9:30 p.m., an accident at Cantine chez Roger led to heavy smoke and water damage, but the structure survived. Reports said the origin was not electrical, as there were no outlets near the ignition point. Seemingly, residue from a deep fryer caught flame and a sprinkler system engaged but did not reach the full area engulfed. No injuries were reported.
On Dec. 31 around 11 p.m., firefighters responded to a blaze originating in the basement kitchen of another restaurant, Casa Medina at 340 Rue Principale Est. The kitchen was reportedly destroyed, but residences in the building above seemingly were not lost.
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