A 130-year-old home in Old North may have to be torn down after fire ripped through it Wednesday.
London firefighters were called to the triplex at 762 Colborne St., near Oxford St. around 4:30am.
"When they arrived there was flames visible coming out of the roof and occupants were outside of the dwelling at that point," said London Deputy Fire Chief Jack Burt.
He credits working smoke alarms for alerting the three residents of the home to the blaze, allowing them time to escape without injury.
The temperature hovered around the -14 C mark, feeling closer to -24 C with the windchill early Wednesday morning, hindering efforts to douse the fire.
"The stairwell leading up to the second-floor unit, where the fire occurred, became quite icy as well as the area around it," said Burt. "The extreme cold (Wednesday) morning made it trickier for firefighters to keep warm, which is also a factor when we are trying to fight a fire."
An LTC bus was sent to the scene to allow firefighters a place to warm up in between battling the fire.
By late afternoon, fire officials had determined the fire was not intentionally set.
"We have determined that it was an electrical fire in nature and nothing suspicious," said Burt.
Damage is estimated at $250,000.