Fire leaves family of three looking for a new home

Jeff Green | Jan 26, 2022

There are only bad times for house fires, but the one last week at 3158 Bell Line Road (just north of Sharbot Lake off Road 509) took place at an even worse time.

The fire was called in at 5:17 am on Friday morning (January 22) when the temperature was below -30 Celsius and the windchill was more like -40.

According to Central Frontenac Fire Chief Chris McDonough, not only did the weather pose an extra risk to the family when they escaped the house, and make it difficult for emergency personnel (police, paramedics, and fire/emergency services) it made it difficult to “maintain water supply and suppression activities”.

Crews arrive just after 5:30am and were greeted with “heavy smoke on the main floor coming from the basement area electrical room.”

They initially commenced “an aggressive indoor attack” but then they saw that the main floor was already structurally compromised.

“At the same time fire travelled inside the wall cavity and into the attic area and it was decided that crews would move to a defensive exterior attack,” said McDonough. “Fortunately, the homeowner had been alerted by the working smoke alarms and the family escaped safely,” he said.

Unfortunately, the family lost a dog in the fire.

The suspected cause of the fire was electrical, based on where it started, but that could not be confirmed due the level of damage in the home, and the estimated damage was estimated at $450,000 by the fire department.

The home was occupied by Stephanie Hammond and her two pre-teen sons.

When contacted by the News, she said she wants to send out a “huge thank you to everyone in the community for their generosity and donations”, adding that she has not been able to get back to people who have been reaching out to her because she does not have access to any of her email or social media accounts.

She said that she has what she needs for the immediate physical well being of herself and her sons, thanks to community support, but they are in need of accommodations in the Sharbot Lake area.

If anyone knows of a rental for a family of three with a small dog, they can contact the Frontenac News at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-279-3150 and we will forward the information on.

Fire Chief McDonough, who was only three days into his new position when the fire happened, indicated that he was impressed by the work of the Central Frontenac fire crews and the other first responders.

“The crews did an amazing job given the weather conditions and access to resources due to cold temperatures,” he said, “I would emphasize that working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are required by law, and in this case although still a tragic event, saved the lives of a family.”