More suspicious blazes break out in Niagara

(Update)
Fire officials say an arsonist has struck again in Niagara Falls. This time in a brand new subdivision on Jennifer Crescent. A young family’s home was destroyed, leaving them with just the clothes on their backs. As Lauran Sabourin reports, the family is counting their blessings. They were jolted out of bed before being overcome by the deadly smoke and flames.

Sheila Bompat was jolted out of bed just before five when she saw flames shooting into their washroom: “When I saw it, I shouted at him, there’s a fire. The next thing I knew, I just
grabbed my kids and went downstairs.”

She grabbed coats, anything she could: “And then I couldn’t grab anymore. I was thinking I need to get out of here.”

Sheila ran out with her children, still wearing her pyjamas: “They were screaming. My four year old was screaming and he was crying.”

Next door, Dennis Van Heusden’s wife was already up and running out the door: “Our bedroom is on top of the the house so she was able to hear some stirring. She heard
a pop.”

She set off the car alarm to wake up the neighbourhood. Outside, the still vacant house was engulfed in flames. The Bompat’s house was also burning. The heat so intense, it melted siding on the house across the street.

“The second floor is totally damaged. The main and basement has water damage.”

This was their dream home. they’d just moved in, in the summer. The family had moved from Toronto to Niagara Falls a few years ago. They were looking for a better life, a safer life for their two young children.

An investigator with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office is probing the blaze. This is the third suspicious blaze in a week in Niagara Falls. A vacant home was gutted on Huron Street.
And early Wednesday morning, three were vehicles were destroyed when a garage was torched.

The Bobpat family has lost everyting. But there is some good news. The builder has offered them the model home until there home is rebuilt.

Still in the Niagara region, fire destroyed a duplex on Grassie Road in West Lincoln late last night. But when the blaze was put out, a 31-year old man was found dead outside the home. Officials say he didn’t die in the fire and foul play is not suspected. The next door neighbour escaped unharmed.