Fire at Simcoe encampment damages former Tim Hortons building

An overnight fire at a homeless encampment outside a shuttered Tim Hortons in downtown Simcoe caused an estimated $150,000 in damage to the building’s exterior. 

J.P. Antonacci

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A fire at a homeless encampment outside a shuttered Tim Hortons in downtown Simcoe destroyed the entrance to the abandoned building early on Tuesday, June 9.

Norfolk County Fire said the alarm sounded around 12:45 a.m., with firefighters finding a “well-involved” fire at the front entrance of the Water Street building.

“Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control, preventing it from spreading throughout the structure and saving the building from a total loss,” Assistant Fire Chief Dave Puype said in an email.

Firefighters searched the building to make sure no one was inside, and no injuries were reported.

In an email to The Spectator, Deputy Fire Chief James Robertson confirmed the fire started outside the building at the site of the encampment.

The exact cause of the fire is tougher to pin down given the contents of the encampment were “heavily damaged,” Robertson said.

“Encampments are often makeshift, constructed of flammable materials and can change configuration over time, which can make it challenging for investigators to accurately reconstruct conditions prior to the fire,” he said.

A burnt mattress was among the charred remains of the encampment strewn about the parking lot of the Water Street property. The smell of smoke hung in the air as caution tape around the perimeter kept pedestrians from the former coffee shop’s flame-blackened front facade.

Damage to the building is estimated at $150,000. A hair salon attached to the former restaurant had a sign in the window saying the business was closed for the day due to the fire.

The fire investigation continues, with the OPP reviewing nearby surveillance footage, Robertson said.

“At this time, the fire is not being treated as suspicious, although that could change should new information come to light,” he said.

Tim Hortons closed its Water Street location in early 2020 after more than 30 years in business. An encampment popped up in recent months, with nearby business owners reporting drug use at the site and police being called to the area on several occasions.

Norfolk County told the Simcoe Reformer the county’s homelessness prevention team was “working closely” with local law enforcement to offer housing and social services support to residents of the encampment.

A municipal notice taped to a window cited the property owner for failing to adhere to the county’s lot maintenance bylaw.

The building is owned by TDL Group, which franchises Tim Hortons locations in Canada.

TDL Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The fire was “not a surprise,” said Josh Parsons, head of a citizens group called Simcoe Strong that focuses on beautifying and revitalizing downtown Simcoe.

“This is what systemic failure looks like,” Parsons said in a Facebook post, referencing the lack of capacity both locally and in nearby cities like Hamilton and London to treat the addiction and mental-health needs of unhoused residents.

“What remains is a population of people without adequate care in a county that has some of the highest rates of youth addiction in Ontario, and no safe consumption services, no comprehensive localized support infrastructure and intervention that arrives too late, if at all,” he said.

“In the meantime, a building burned.”

Parsons called on elected officials to commit to tackling the complex problem of harm reduction through “youth intervention, housing (and) wraparound support.”

“There is no version of this that is quick or easy or cheap,” he said.

- J.P. Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.