A small fire in a ground-floor unit of a Peter Street apartment building was quickly contained by Orillia firefighters Monday night.
Shortly after 8 p.m., the Orillia Fire Department responded to an alarm at St. James Court at 18 Peter St. N.
Within two minutes of arriving, the fire was extinguished, said Orillia Fire Chief Brent Thomas.
“Thanks to early detection by the occupants of the unit and the quick work by firefighters, the fire was put out quickly,” said Thomas.
Thankfully, there were no injuries, he said.
As a result of the alarm, all the occupants of the building were evacuated. By 9:15 p.m., everyone, with the exception of those who lived in the unit impacted by the fire, were allowed back into the building.
“This was a best-case scenario,” said Thomas, noting firefighters were able to keep the smoke, heat and water damage to a minimum and, perhaps most importantly, ensured there was no damage outside of the unit.
Despite that, Thomas estimates damages at between $12,000 and $15,000.
He said the fire department is working with the Orillia OPP to investigate the cause of the blaze, which is undetermined as of now
Thomas could not provide a definite time frame, but said it shouldn’t take long for repairs to be made to the unit that would allow the residents to move back in.
