The black smoke from a storage facility fire in West Lorne, Ont. could be seen for kilometres.
West Elgin Fire Department responded to a blaze at 215 Gilbert St. Saturday after multiple 911 calls.
“There was smoke and flames showing from the rooftop at the building behind us,” said Jeff MacArthur, chief of the West Elgin Fire Department. “We also requested Dutton/Dunwich for mutual aid and also Central Elgin Fire.”
The building is a storage facility called SimTech Supply Chain Management.
Fire crews set up hoses around the perimeter of the building spraying water up onto the roof. Central Elgin Fire had its aerial ladder truck and was putting water on from above.
“We were quickly able to knock down the flames with water suppression,” said MacArthur. “We secured water supply. We have hydrants right on scene here, so thankfully, the fire was brought under control on the rooftop quite quickly.”
Fire crews worked with the property owner to determine what contents were inside the facility. They also had Enbridge and Hydro One crews on scene to isolate the electrical power and the rest of the utilities.
There were no injuries.
Fire later determined the fire involved the roof structure and solar panels on the roof. None of the building’s contents were involved in the fire and crews will be back on scene Sunday to continue the investigation.