A dog died, a man suffered injuries requiring hospitalization, two pets remain missing, and a home faces total destruction following a Sunday evening fire in Windsor’s Devonshire Heights neighborhood.
Emergency Response
Fire crews arrived at a 1.5-storey house on Byng Road, near Walker Road and the E.C. Row Expressway, around 9:30 p.m. Flames had spread to the second level, officials report.
The man escaped the upper floor by jumping through a window onto the garage roof below. A cat also leaped from the second storey to safety.
Pet Rescue Attempts
Firefighters discovered the deceased dog inside the structure and applied a small oxygen mask in an effort to revive it. Chief Fire Prevention Officer John Smith noted that crews receive specialized training for performing CPR on dogs and other animals.
One additional cat and one dog have not been located.
Suspicious Fire Probe
Investigators classify the blaze as suspicious since it originated on the home’s exterior before spreading into the knee-walls—the low barriers dividing the attic living space from the roof edges.
Damage estimates range from $500,000 to $600,000, with Smith indicating the property qualifies as a complete loss. “It’s going to be a total write-off I would think at this point,” he stated.
