It took 46 firefighters and two commanders about seven hours to bring a Sunday-evening fire at the former Habitat for Humanity ReStore building at 700 Main St. under control. People living in a nearby condominium building had to leave their homes while it burned.
Police consider the fire suspicious. On Monday, Nov. 9, the Halton Regional Police Service said it has arrested and charged three 14-year-olds from the Milton area in connection with the blaze. Each faces one count of break and enter and one count of arson. The charges haven't been tested in court, and the teens can't be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the federal law that protects the identities of young people accused of crimes.
Nobody was inside the empty building when it caught fire, and no firefighters or other emergency workers were hurt.
The Town says Milton Fire & Rescue Services got the call at about 6:24 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. Crews fought the flames with three aerial trucks, which spray water from high above a building, and large-volume hoses. They kept the fire from spreading and had it under control by about 1:25 a.m. Monday.
For the neighbours, Milton Transit sent buses that served as temporary shelter and carried people to a warming centre set up at Memorial Arena. Residents were allowed back into their apartments once the smoke had cleared.
Fire Chief Peter Gatto said Milton's mix of full-time firefighters and part-time, on-call ones let the service bring in extra crews quickly while still keeping emergency coverage across the rest of Milton during the fire.
Mayor Gord Krantz credited everyone who responded. "Their co-ordinated response kept residents safe and prevented the fire from spreading," he said.
The Ontario Fire Marshal, the provincial office that investigates serious and suspicious fires, has been notified. Police ask anyone with information to call the 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2416.
