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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 13, 2006 - 7 Size of mansion posed unusual problem for firefighters The biggest problem local firefighters had with the fire at Chester Hall on Friday was locating it. Canada's largest house, measuring 48,000 sq. ft., sustained an estimated $50,000 in damage from a blaze in the attic, said Michael Harrison, of the Oakville Fire Department's fire prevention division. "The location problems were because the attic space was so large in that house. When they got there, they obviously had to travel a large distance to locate it," said Harrison. The Lakeshore Road East home, which was built in 2002, is only slightly smaller than the White House. "It wasn't really a big problem, it's just because it's such a large building," said Harrison. The fire department received a report of the fire at 6:30 p.m. Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Harrison said it may have been the result of a malfunctioning fireplace. "We had to look for it a little while," said Fire Chief Richard Boyce. "It was difficult to locate in the building, but they found the fire and got it extinguished. It was more of a smouldering fire." No one was injured in the home, which belongs to retired beer baron Hugo Powell, former CEO of Labatt's parent company, Interbrew. Chester Hall is 1,000 sq. ft. bigger than a house in Abbotsford, B.C., which was previously believed to be the biggest home in Canada. Powell's $16.3-million home caused a stir in the community when it was first proposed. Original plans had it at 54,322 sq. ft., but the mansion was later scaled back to 48,000. It includes an indoor swimming pool and 5,000square-feet of buildings outside the home, including a chapel, gatehouse, boathouse, greenhouses and tennis pavilion. The mansion sits on three housing lots totaling four hectares and overlooking Lake Ontario. While it was under construction, Powell, who was born in India but has both Canadian and British citizenship, said he retired to spend more time with his family. - With files from Torstar News Service Toronto cop faces gun charges A Toronto police officer, who lives in Oakville, has been charged with possession of an unlicensed handgun. The off-duty cop turned himself in to Halton Region Police last Thursday for allegedly possessing unauthorized weapons in his home, said police. Nikola Tsoutsoulas, 41, faces three charges: unauthorized possession of a firearm with both no licence and no registration certificate and unauthorized possession of a prohibited device. Tsoutsoulas is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 9 in Milton. The Halton Regional Police Service is continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information related to it is asked to contact the Oakville Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 or 905-634-1831, ext. 2215 or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). THE CANADIAN TENORS Rare Performance!! Dec. 16 @ 7:30 p.m. OAKVILLE CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Tickets $35 by phone 905-815-2021 or toll free 1-888-489-7784 or at 130 Navy Street or at the door. Introducing the Revolutionary Multi-FireTM Electric Firebox come to Oakville for a "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m e m b e r s . c o m ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905.337.2066 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE **PLUS FIND GREAT GIFT IDEAS** ACTON 49 Easter n Ave 1 877 4-LEATHER TORONTO 522 King West 416 203-7001 Holiday Hours: Everyday 10-9, Sunday 10-6 www.theoldehidehouse.com