Oakville construction site fire likely caused by improper welding: report

A new report suggests improper welding techniques likely caused a massive fire that destroyed ten homes at a construction site in Oakville last week.

Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault says the welding of structural support beams in one of the units initiated the blaze, which quickly spread to nearby homes due to high winds on June 21.

“With the homes not in the full finishing stages of construction and no smoke alarms installed, the fire grew exponentially without early notification, creating extreme fire conditions despite a phenomenal response time of under two minutes,” Boissonneault says.

Emergency crews responded to the subdivision under construction in the area of William Cutmore Blvd. and Dundas St. shortly before noon.

“The homes were in different phases of construction and the wind-driven fire spread very quickly to adjacent structures given the unprotected nature of the wood frames during the construction process,” he says.

Officials say there were construction workers at the site when the blaze started, but no injuries have been reported.

The fire was under control within three hours of crews arriving at the scene and fully extinguished within six hours.

Damage to the homes is estimated at approximately $5 million.

Fire investigators have scheduled a meeting with representatives of Mattamy Homes, the developer of the property.

READ MORE: Massive fire destroys 10 homes under construction in Oakville