London fire investigators are hoping to finally get inside of a "very congested" home to verify no one was inside when fire tore through the building early Friday morning.
Firefighters were called to the two-storey home at 712 Adelaide St. N., between Piccadilly and Pall Mall streets, around 3:30 Friday morning. Crews arrived to find thick smoke and flames.
"Heavy fire was showing on the rear and side on all levels of the house upon arrival and as [firefighters] started to attack the fire they determined that the interior was very congested and it was unsafe to enter due to that congestion," said Platoon Chief Dave Hood. "So it was decided it would be an exterior defensive attack."
Hood noted firefighters initially tried to enter on both the first and second floors before it was determined to be too dangerous to do so.
Due to the amount of combustible materials packed into the home, it took an exceptional amount of water to extinguish the blaze.
The extreme cold weather also hindered efforts to battle the fire. Crews ran a hose across Adelaide Street to a hydrant and had to keep it running to ensure it wouldn't freeze up. Firefighters also had to be rotated on and off due to the frigid conditions.
As of mid-morning Friday, no injuries had been reported. However, investigators still needed to get inside to ensure there were no occupants home at the time of the fire.
Damage is estimated at $400,000.
The home has been cordoned off with yellow tape and a London police cruiser is parked out front.
Hood said at this point fire officials are unable to say whether the fire is considered suspicious.
"It's currently under investigation," said Hood.
The fire kept a section of Adelaide Street North closed for several hours. It was reopened for the morning commute, although drivers were still advised to avoid the area until firefighters cleared the scene shortly before 9 a.m.
