First responders found a 50-year-old Barrie man dead at the scene of a house fire on Saturday night, according to an Ontario fire marshal.
“We have an investigator, forensic engineer and supervisor on scene to determine the origin and cause of the fire. It is too early to tell what happened,” said Steven Wilson, assistant deputy Ontario Fire Marshal.
“We were called to investigate because of the death. There is nothing to suggest any criminality,” he said. “Our forensic engineers have also seized exhibits which need to examined.”
The call came in at 9:43 p.m. on Saturday night of a structure fire at Shadowood Road near Meadow Lane. Barrie police responded with Barrie Fire. The Ontario Fire Marshall was at the scene throughout the day on Sunday.
“I credit the quick response of Barrie Fire which prevented the fire from spreading beyond the unit of origin,” said Wilson.
Wilson confirmed that the deceased was the homeowner. He also said a post-mortem will be conducted at the Centre for Forensic Science in Toronto to determine the cause of death later this week.
“I can tell you the smoke alarms in the condominium unit were working properly and alerted other residents in neighbouring units to evacuate safely,” he said.