Fire: 1)(Update) Secondary fire sparks propane explosion at Barrie apartment; 2)(Update) Damage tops $1M in fire at Orillia building, residents displaced
1)(Update) Secondary fire sparks propane explosion at Barrie apartment
Courtesy Barrie360.com
By Ian MacLennan, September 14, 2026
Barrie Fire Service responds to a fourth-floor apartment fire on Chef Lane after a propane explosion Saturday evening.
Updated – Sept 14
Barrie Fire Service says a secondary fire caused a propane tank to explode on the balcony of a fourth-floor apartment on Saturday evening.
The blaze caused significant damage to the apartment located on Chef Lane off Mapleview Drive East.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
No one was in the unit when the fire broke out, but firefighters rescued a pet.
The Ontario Fire Marshal was alerted about the blaze but will not be investigating.
Update – Sept. 12
Barrie Fire officials say nobody was in a fourth-floor apartment when a propane tank on the balcony exploded.
They said there was significant damage to the interior of the apartment, and several other tenants have been displaced, while the other residents have been allowed to return to their units.
There were no injuries.
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Original story/Sept. 12
Barrie Fire Service is investigating a blaze at an apartment that they say was sparked by a propane explosion.
Officials tell Barrie 360 they received a 911 call shortly after 6:30 Saturday evening and responded to Chef Lane off Mapleview Drive East.
Barrie Fire Service responded to a report of an explosion at a fourth-floor apartment on Chef Lane in the south part of the city shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2026.
The fire was on the top floor of the four-storey building.
The explosion happened on the balcony of the apartment.
As a precaution, at least two City of Barrie transit buses were being brought to the scene to provide shelter to people in other units of the building.
No injuries have been reported, but it has not been confirmed if anyone was in the apartment at the time of the explosion.
The Ontario Fire Marshal has been notified.
2)(Update) Damage tops $1M in fire at Orillia building, residents displaced
Courtesy Barrie360.com
By Ian MacLennan,September 15, 2026
More than $1 million in damage is estimated after a fire heavily damaged an Orillia building with five apartments.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at 265 Barrie Road near Westmount Drive South around 12:10 Tuesday morning.
Fire Chief Chris Ferry says crews found heavy fire coming from a ground-floor unit of the three-storey structure.
“Everyone was out of the building, and there were no injuries,” Ferry said in an email to Barrie 360.
According to Ferry, a volunteer Orillia firefighter was on a late-night run when he happened to be running by the address and spotted the fire.
The firefighter banged on the doors and alerted the residents. He then guided the woman who lived in the apartment where the fire started out of the building.
Ferry said the fire consumed the main-level unit and spread to the second and third floors through exterior windows and walls because of the building’s balloon-frame construction.
The fire also extended into the attic, and the roof became involved.
Firefighters from Ramara and Severn assisted Orillia crews.
Ferry says the building had a working fire alarm system.
All residents have been displaced.
He says he expects the building will be a total loss.
The fire is not considered suspicious. The Ontario Fire Marshal was notified but is not attending.
The cause remains undetermined.