The Ontario Fire Marshal's office is probing a multi-million dollar fire in rural east Ottawa that burned a luxurious home up for sale to the ground.
The home was listed on grapevine.ca for $1.9 million. The 9000 square foot bungalow was custom-built, with six bedrooms, four ensuites, a gourmet kitchen, heated marble flooring and a six-car garage. The home is now in ruins.
About 40 firefighters responded to the blaze at 3304 Wilhaven Dr. in Cumberland at about 4:30 a.m. Monday.
"The homeowner came here frantically in his car, knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell saying his house was on fire, please call 911," neighbour Maria Tsourounakis told CTV Ottawa.
The homeowner, identified as Marco Proulx, woke up when he heard a loud explosion in his garage. He raced outside and saw the fire spreading from his garage to the rest of his house.
Firefighters from across the east end of the city responded to the blaze. But the quarter-mile long driveway caused obstacles in fighting the fire.
"We had water shuttled in using about six tankers and being such a long laneway, sometimes getting the water up to the house is a bit of a challenge but we can supply water with no problem once the water supply is established," said fire spokesperson Marc Messier.
The fire not only destroyed the home, but also family heirlooms and souvenirs. Total damage is estimated at $3 million.
"These things being a total loss, he's very emotional, very upset, which is understandable. I mean this is obviously his dream home and he's basically watched it burn down to the ground," said Messier.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
