Burner left on during power outage causes apartment fire

A local resident was sent to hospital and numerous others were temporarily displaced by a fire at an apartment complex in Harriston.

Minto Fire Chief Chris Harrow said firefighters received a call for an alarm activation at 38 Elizabeth Street in Harriston around 8:42pm on May 4.
Members of the Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Guelph Paramedic Services also responded to the incident.
Police state the fire started within one unit of the building’s 13 units and is not considered suspicious. Police and fire officials said a resident was pulled from the apartment by a bystander and was transported to hospital with minor injuries.
Harrow said the injured person was the occupant of the unit where the fire started.
Damage to the building is estimated at $100,000, largely to the unit where the fire originated. Harrow described that unit as “destroyed.”
Residents of the rest of the building were unable to return for two nights. Wellington County Housing and the Town of Minto  assisted with arrangements for alternate housing.
Harrow told the Advertiser the cause of the fire appears to be related to a windstorm that knocked out power from about 3 to 8:30pm in much of Harriston.
“From information we gathered, something was left on the stove and the power went out. When the power came back on, the pot was still on the stove with the burner on, eventually causing the fire,” the chief explained.