'Flames were just barreling out': west Windsor neighbour wakes up to fire next door

Heavy damage to a house in the 1200 block of McEwan Avenue in Windsor, Ont., on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)

A west Windsor resident was shocked to wake up and see flames “barreling” from the house next door.

Firefighters were called to the scene in the 1200 block of McEwan Avenue near Campbell Avenue around 2 a.m. on Friday.

Next door neighbour Paul Carver says he woke up and smelled the smoke.

“When I came downstairs, the whole dining room, I had all the blinds shut, I could see it all lit up, and I thought ‘what the heck?’ and I could smell the smoke,” says Carver.

Carver moved into his kitchen to get a better look at the house on fire next door.

“When I looked out, the flames were just barreling out of the back of her house,” he says. “It’s like I gotta get outta here.”

He got dressed, got his essentials and went outside. Carver says his house was ok, with very minimal damage.

The house next door was heavily damaged. Fire officials say damage is estimated at $200,000.

A Windsor fire spokesperson tells CTV News, the cause of the fire is still under investigation and nobody has been displaced.

Carver says the home was vacant at the time. It sold and closed earlier this month. He says someone was planning on moving in.

With files from CTV News Windsor's Bob Bellacicco.