Damage estimates could top $1.5 million following a fire that appears to have been deliberately set on CN Rail property in Cobourg over the weekend.
Two buildings were destroyed when Cobourg fire department were called to the property located at 649 George Street just north of the VIA station at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, October 28, 2018.
Today’s Northumberland has learned that the gas tanks of numerous CN Rail vehicles were tampered with in an attempt to start them on fire.
On Sunday morning when fire crews arrived a building on the north side of the property was engulfed in flames. A few minutes later, flames engulfed another structure on the south side of the property.
Ontario Fire Marshal investigator Mike Ross was on-site Sunday and returned Monday to continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
“We have two separate fires in two separate buildings,” said Ross.
“We’re looking at everything and considering all avenues. We’re not finished.”
There is approximately two to three feet of debris on the floor that Ross along with two Cobourg firefighters are sifting through.
“It’s not really a needle in a haystack as long as you understand the fundamentals on how fire moves and what it does.”
“If you are just basically following the laws of physics and the chemistry of it – fire speaks for itself.”
Ross did say both fires were intense with, “pretty significant fires coming out of both buildings.”
There were numerous surveillance cameras on the property.
Ross said video may reveal important information regarding the timeline of the fire.
“So we can calculate how big the fire is in a certain period of time.”
But the recorder device was seized before Ross arrived.
On Monday morning, Ross completed his investigation at approximately 3 p.m.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
