Fire department still investigating cause of early morning East End fire

An early morning fire has destroyed a house in the city’s East End.

Five pumpers and a total of 21 fire fighters responded to a structural fire at 601 McPherson St around 2 a.m. Friday. Thunder Bay Fire service prevention officer Marty Patterson said the house, which is under renovation and unoccupied, was already fully engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived.

"There’s a lot of damage a lot of consumption and fire crews had to pull back into a defensive mode and suppress the fire that way," Patterson said.

The blaze lasted for a couple of hours he said.

Neighbor Marlene McMann said she woke up to flashing lights and the sound of fire trucks outside of her bedroom window.

"There were flames shooting everywhere," McMann said. "Just shooting out like crazy."

Patterson said the fire is still under investigation and couldn’t speculate what caused it.