GOULDS — According to a resident of the area, a house on Viguers Road in Goulds that was destroyed by fire Saturday afternoon had been abandoned for more than five years.
Cynthia Kavanagh Walsh was the one who alerted the St. John’s Regional Fire Department (SJRFD) about the blaze; a friend who was visiting Kavanagh Walsh had seen that the porch of the nearby structure was engulfed in flames.
Chris Jefford, Platoon Chief with the SJRFD, said by the time fire crews were on the scene, the whole structure was engulfed in fire.
There was worry that an old bridge leading to the property wouldn’t support the weight of heavier equipment, so firehoses had to be hauled toward the fir, which was about 500 metres away, Jefford said.
Water from a nearby river was then sent through a portable pump to the hoses.
“It was hard to get the water supply there, but once the water supply was established … it wasn’t much more than to put out what was left of it,” Jefford said.
Once they knew the structure was abandoned, their concern shifted toward protecting the forest and surrounding area.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
