A picture of the blaze, courtesy of Kerri Flynn.A picture of the blaze, courtesy of Kerri Flynn.
London

Resident Says Exeter Fire Started In Unit Occupied By Squatter

One of the Exeter residents displaced by Friday’s fire on Main St. says the fire was started in an unit occupied by a "squatter."

Flames and smoke could be seen coming of out of the second story building on Friday afternoon, as crews spent much of the night battling the blaze.

Once the fire was extinguished, it was clear there was not much left of the building that housed six apartments and the Better Computer business on the main floor.

Officials have pegged the total damage caused by the fire at around $750,000.

Catherine Corr says she was in her second-storey apartment when she saw smoke coming through her door.

“I opened the door and walked towards the other apartment and all I saw was black smoke coming out of it,” Corr tells CKNX News from a hotel room provided by the Canadian Red Cross. “So I went back to my apartment to tell my sister and my friend that the building was on fire. They left and I went back to the other apartment, because I knew someone was staying there. I yelled for her but she never answered.”

Corr said the girl in the other apartment, who was “squatting," made it out of the building safely.

Officials closed off Hwy. 4 several days while they investigated the cause of the blaze. The OPP reopened one lane of Hwy. 4 on Sunday around 7pm.

In the meantime, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Exeter will be housing donations for Corr. Officials at the ReStore ask that anyone who brings a donation mention Corr’s (or any of the others affected by the fire) name. Their website is here.

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