Argument over $10 led to North End house fire, police say

A 17-year-old woman was charged with arson after a fire completely destroyed a home in the North End on Friday morning.

Crews were called to Pritchard Avenue near Main Street around 7 a.m. as flames burned through the roof of the two-storey home and huge black clouds of smoke billowed above the neighbourhood.

Five people were able to make it out of the home safely, police said.

• Firefighters battle North End house fire in bitter cold

The fire was suspicious and police began to investigate, saidpolice spokesperson Const. Jay Murray on Saturday.

Police learned that the woman had been drinking and doing methamphetamine with two other people in a suite inside the home. A fight broke out over $10 and the teenager was removed from the house.

She came back, broke a window in the home, threatened to retaliate and, according topolice, set the fire.

Soon after the entire home was engulfed in flames.

The flames also reached over to the neighbouring home where John Donovan lived with his family. The family was just waking up when they heard banging on their door, he told CBC News on Friday.

It was his neighbour, who told him to get his family out of the house because the flames were jumping over to his roof.

There was also damage to Donovan's house.

The teenager was located by police at a hotel on Portage Avenue near Raglan Road Friday evening.She faces numerous charges including five counts of arson with disregard for human life and uttering threats.

Murray said while the house was destroyed,the quick response from firefighters stopped it from spreading further.

"I can't imagine fighting a fire in this weather is easy," he said.