LISTOWEL — Two volunteer firefighters were killed Thursday afternoon as they battled a raging fire in a commercial building on Listowel’s main street.
Witnesses said smoke was first spotted coming from the roof of the Dollar Stop store at about 3:30 p.m.
A short time later, two firefighters from the North Perth Fire Department were reported missing inside the single-storey structure. They were later found dead, but their bodies had not been recovered Thursday night.
Killed were 30-year-old Raymond Walter of Listowel, and 56-year-old Kenneth Rea of Atwood. Rea was the deputy district chief for the Atwood station, one of three serving North Perth.
With tears in her eyes as she spoke to the assembled media, North Perth Mayor Julie Behrns expressed “how saddened we are as a community this evening to have to share this tragic loss.
“I want to express our heartfelt sympathy to the wives and families of our fallen firefighters.”
Perth County OPP Insp. Steve Porter said the tragedy is being deeply felt across the ranks of emergency services personnel.
“There are no words to express the profound sadness felt by everyone,” he said. “We feel their loss as well.”
Behrns said she was not in a position to release more information about the firefighters Thursday night. OPP officers said fire officials were too distraught to speak to the media.
The tragedy comes as the Perth County town was launching its popular Paddyfest, one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day events in the region.
“Everybody knows everybody, and the worst of it is this is supposed to be our week of celebration,” said longtime Listowel resident Connie Marsh.
The event is presented by the Listowel Kinsmen and Kinettes, and Marsh said some of the firefighters belong to the service club. Firefighter Walter was vice-president of the Listowel Kinsmen.
“It’s going to hurt a lot, because it’s family,” Marsh said.
Witnesses said the fire appeared to begin on the roof of the building, where roofing work may have been taking place. The store was open for business at the time, and witnesses said somebody went inside to warn the occupants that the building was on fire.“I saw kind of a white smoke coming through the ceiling,” said witness Steven Hewitt.
“All of a sudden the guys were on their horns,” Hewitt said, as fire trucks sounded a warning. OPP officers began moving onlookers back to a safer location.
“You couldn’t see anything,” Hewitt said.
By 4 p.m., the fire was through the roof, he said, and thick, black smoke was pouring from the structure.
Hours later, smoke continued to rise from the ruins as firefighters manning an aerial tower poured water onto the structure.
Yellow police tape surrounded the scene, keeping small clusters of onlookers well back from the building. Several area streets were closed to traffic.
“I’m still in shock myself,” said town resident Steve Riley as he watched from a nearby parking lot.
Riley said he had heard that three firefighters entered the burning structure before the roof collapsed. Only one made it out.
“These guys gave their lives,” Riley said.
Premier Dalton McGuinty released a statement Thursday night expressing condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the firefighters.
“I was saddened to learn today of the death of two volunteer firefighters in Listowel,” McGuinty said.
“Our volunteer firefighters take time away from their families to keep us safe,” McGuinty said. “We rely on their selflessness, and today’s tragedy is a solemn reminder that we must never take their sacrifices for granted.”
Few details about the fire were being officially confirmed Thursday night.
“We’re still looking into the sequence of events,” Porter said. “We’re in the early stages of this investigation.”
Officials from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office were at the scene Thursday evening. Porter said experts would examine the structure and come up with a plan to recover the bodies of the fallen men.
“They are like a band of brothers who stick together to do their job,” said Marsh.
“I hope that as a small community, we can stick together for them.”
