A massive fire broke out at a commercial property in the Homedale neighbourhood, knocking out power for nearly 3,000 residents in the dead of night on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
It was just after 2:00 a.m. when the old brick building on the corner of Jarvis Street and Grand River Avenue went up in flames. Officials say no one was inside at the time, but the building itself is a total loss.
“Sure enough you could see all these flames shooting up there and it looked really, really, big. And we were just like, oh that’s not good. And you could smell it,” said one resident of the area.
Fire officials say they first got the call shortly after 2:30 a.m. and arrived to see flames visible from the exterior of the commercial property.
Brantford’s fire chief tells CHCH News that the intensity of the burn kept his crews from entering the property, forcing them to take up defensive positions, protecting nearby homes and knocking the fire down via aerial nozzles.
While some nearby residents had to be evacuated, no one was injured and officials say they have no reason to believe anyone was inside.
For many in the area, the first clue that something was wrong was the sudden loss of power.
“Power has been out since I think 3 a.m. The power is still out — obviously, this section of the street, our whole street. I did see some lights on further up,” said Jed Frieady, a local resident.
Brantford’s Deputy Fire Chief, Dwayne Armstrong, tells CHCH News that the building is a total loss.
At this time, there is no damage estimate in dollar amount, but Armstrong says The Office of the Fire Marshal has been notified and he expects they’ll carry out a full investigation into the fire’s cause.
Throughout the day, crews could be seen dousing what remains of the property in an effort to extinguish any lingering hot spots.
And across social media, neighbourhood watch groups are sharing extensive footage, some of it, from seemingly far away.
Fire crews are expected to remain on the scene until the end of the day to monitor the structure itself.
As of now, power should be fully restored for those living in the area. Anyone still without hydro should contact GrandBridge Energy.
