Hamilton experienced its second serious fire at a new housing construction site this year. Shortly after 1PM Tuesday, the Hamilton Fire Department was called to a new subdivision under construction on Blackbird Way off of Marion Street in Mount Hope. While on route, crews could see heavy smoke in the areas of Twenty Road as well as White Church Road. When they got there they were confronted with a well involved fire in multiple single family homes under construction and that one house had already collapsed. Firefighters managed to cut off the advancing fire, but not before it consumed 4 homes. An additional the house directly adjacent to the forth involved home and four homes directly across the street from the involved structures sustained heat and water damage. It took approximately 30 minutes to bring the fire under control. Given that this will be a multi million dollar loss fire, the Office of the Fire Marshal has been notified.
It is the second fire this year involving homes under construction. In July, an inferno-like fire gutted 23 half-built townhomes in Upper Stoney Creek and damaged a dozen other occupied units nearby and caused more than $10 million worth of damage.
These fires at building sites very questionable. Seems like an insurance scam with the developers trying to cut their losses. Easier than trying to get more money out of buyers after they have already paid a deposit like Adi in burlington.