A rooming house was left ablaze on Saturday night after what appears to have been a case of arson.
More than 20 women had to be evacuated from the residence at 230 Nepean St. but there were no injuries. It took eight fire trucks and 32 firefighters to bring the raging fire under control.
Rose Petitfour, who resides on the second floor of the rooming house, was quoted in media reports as saying she was in bed shortly before midnight when she heard two male voices. Amidst all the confusion, she is unsure whether the voices came before or after the incident.
“They said, “Hey, please. Please, lady. Move! Move! Move!’” she was quoted as saying.
Petitfour said by the time she had gotten up, the house was already engulfed in flames, so she ran.
It appears that the fire may have been the result of foul play, but police cannot confirm this despite that an arson dog detected the presence of accelerants on the scene Sunday.
District Fire Chief Michael MacCormac said firefighters on the scene Saturday said the fire behaved as if some form of accelerant had been used because the fire continued to flare even as the they doused it with water.
“It could be gas or kerosene or an accelerant like that,” he was quoted as saying.
This latest blaze comes following one at Cornerstone Women’s Shelter last Sunday that left a 61-year-old woman dead.