Emergency crews were called to the scene of a sizeable fire that erupted in downtown Forest late Wednesday afternoon.
Lambton Shores Fire Chief Lawrence Swift said the department received a call at around 5:30 p.m. about a multi-storey structure fire on King Street.
"The fire was a very stubborn fire. The century-old building had many small compartments and was very difficult to get to because they were on the roof area. It took a long time to get under control, or at least for the fire to be completely extinguished, so it was late into the evening before we got the fire pretty much out."
Swift said crews left just short of 1:30 a.m. Thursday before returning to the scene later in the morning to continue the investigation.
He said a cause and damage estimate have yet to be determined and that no injuries were reported.
"In all, we had three different fire departments that were involved. Petrolia came with a ladder truck, South Huron from Exeter Station came with a ladder truck, and we had four out of the five Lambton Shores stations involved in fighting the fire."
Swift said he's awaiting a call from the Ontario Fire Marshal (OFA) to see if they want to play a role in the investigation. Fire departments are required to inform the OFA of fires that cause over $500,000.
King Street between Main Street and James Street was closed while crews worked on the blaze.
