tragedy

A devastating house fire has left multiple families with nothing but the clothes on their backs, now, the community in Yarmouth is rallying behind them.

In the late morning on Oct. 31st, at a time when families should have been preparing for a fun night of trick-or-treating, a fire broke out at a multi-unit residence near the corner of Main Street and Argyle Street.

Police closed down the area, and fire departments from Lake Vaughan and Port Maitland were called in to assist.

Smoke billowed from the front and back of the house, and flames could be seen coming from upper windows. More than an hour into fighting the blaze, one firefighter on scene said they were having trouble locating the source of the fire, which was deep inside the building.

Firefighters had to cut multiple holes in the roof and sides of the building to gain access to the fire.

Shortly after 4 p.m. the Yarmouth Fire Department said they extinguished the blaze, but the building and everything inside was largely destroyed.

The department confirmed that nobody was hurt, and that an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

Multiple GoFundMe fundraisers have since been posted for families who lost everything in the tragedy.

“In an instant, their lives were turned upside down, leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their backs”, reads one page for a young family with a 16-month-old son.

Argyle Street fire Yarmouth (October 2026) IMAGE: Tyler Reis-Sanford

Another fundraiser says that a family with three young children did not have a chance to look into tenants insurance, and that they lost everything in the fire.

Just days after the tragedy, nearly $2,000 have been raised to support affected families.