Fire guts historic Niagara Falls home

By Richard Hutton,  Niagara This Week. May 25,2017 

NIAGARA FALLS — The cause of a blaze that resulted in extensive damage to a historic home on Highland Avenue is being investigated after the house, known as the William Leeming House, was gutted late on Wednesday night.

The home, located at 5781 Highland Ave., was designated as a heritage property in 2002. It was the home of Rev. William Leeming (1787-1863), founder of the Anglican Trinity parish in Chippawa. He also served at St. John’s Anglican in Stamford, as well as in Fort Erie, Queenston and Drummondville. The home was believed to have been constructed in 1827.

The home has been vacant for years, falling into a state of disrepair, and the city considered demolishing the property in 2015.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at 11 p.m., and upon arrival, found the house was fully involved in fire.

“With the property being vacant and in a state of disrepair, firefighters had to utilize a defensive attack to get the fire under control,” said Deputy fire Chief Jo Zambito. “Once the fire was under control, firefighters were able to make entry to search for any victims. None were found, thankfully.”

Niagara Regional Police secured the scene once the fire was extinguished so an investigation can occur.

“We will be working with our partners at the Niagara Regional Police, and Office of the Fire Marshal and emergency management to investigate the origin and cause of this fire,” Zambito said.

The dollar value of damage to the home is unknown.