Flames attracted dozens of late-night onlookers and lit up an otherwise quiet street in Sandwich Town on Wednesday night.
Fire Breaks Out on Linwood Place
A fire broke out at a boarded-up two-storey house in the 3200 block of Linwood Place shortly after 10:30 p.m.
“I heard sirens and went outside and saw smoke,” one woman who lives nearby told the Star. “It felt like flames were there in seconds.”
This is at least the third fire at the home in the last eight months. Crews extinguished fires in October and December of 2025, the second of which was deemed suspicious and sparked a police investigation.
Emergency Response
At least five fire trucks with Windsor Fire and Rescue Services responded to the blaze on Wednesday, as did Windsor police. A city bus, which detoured up the short street in light of nearby road work, was caught in the emergency road closure.
Firefighters tackled the flames from an aerial ladder as well as multiple hoses deployed from the ground. When firefighters yanked a large wooden board from the structure’s entrance, a flood of water poured down the front steps.
Squatters Suspected
Nearby residents told the Star they hadn’t seen anyone entering or exiting the building, but they suspected squatters were behind the frequent fires. Officials have not yet released a suspected cause or estimated damage value.
By midnight, crews had begun to leave the scene.
More to come.
