The Lambton Shores Fire Department is reminding residents of the importance of having working smoke alarms after a structure fire was reported on Thursday.
Fire Chief James Marshall said crews out of Forest and Thedford were called to a home on Lake Valley Grove Road at approximately 1:30 p.m.
"The fire itself was a smaller fire but it put out a lot of black smoke, which filled the entire house with a fairly large amount of smoke damage," Marshall said.
Damage is estimated at around $375,000.
Marshall said the cause of the fire was mechanical in nature.
"The fire originated in the garage area in the basement of the home and the smoke was able to migrate throughout the entire house," he said.
No one was home at the time. Marshall said working smoke alarms notified the neighbour, who was able to contact 911 and the property owner.
Firefighters were at the scene for approximately two hours.
Between Thursday's incident and the structure fire in Thedford on Wednesday, Marshall said they serve as an important safety reminder to keep doors closed at night and to have working alarms.
"With this fire, it wasn't a huge fire but with the plastics that we have in our home, once they get burning, they put out an awful lot of very dark, black smoke," he said. "Keeping your doors closed, ensuring that you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, gives you the opportunity to get out safely and reduces the amount of damage that can occur when a fire happens."
Aside from the recent, unrelated fires, the Lambton Shores Fire Department has been called to water incidents this past week.