Kirkland Lake Fire Services responded to a fire at 10 Government Road Saturday afternoon. The building, which houses Ontario government offices, suffered extensive damage. There were no injuries or fatalities.
The initial alarm came in at 12:30 PM. Two firefighters responded in Pumper Unit #1. They were stationed at the side of the building where fire had breached the second floor windows. A request for assistance was issued and at 12:45 Pumper Unit #3 arrived and began to work at the front of the building. The aerial unit was ordered on the scene shortly after and arrived at 1:05. It was placed at the rear of the building. All units concentrated on spraying water into the second floor to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the building.
“The fire burned hot and fast,” said Fire Chief Rob Adair. “We had 20 firefighters and three units on site to contain it. The Ontario Provincial Police cordoned off the area so we were able to secure the site quickly and place our units where they could be most effective.”
Fire, smoke and water damage was extensive. At the rear of the building, streaks of black and gray from the fire and smoke marked the outside of the building, while broken glass from the second floor windows lay scattered on the ground. The parking lot was criss-crossed with hoses. Water could be seen trickling out of the building and freezing in the dropping temperatures.
“It’s tricky in there right now,” said Platoon Chief Randy Bukovic as he came down the aerial truck’s ramp from the upper floors. “The water is running down the stairwells, making it hard for the guys to move around while they look for hot spots.”
Chief Adair called the fire ‘under control’ at 3:30 PM. Crews remained on the scene until after 5 PM cleaning up. Investigations as to the cause of the fire will have to wait until next week.
Mayor Tony Antoniazzi praised the Fire Service for its fast and effective response. “It always amazes me when I see our fulltime and volunteer firefighters in action. They are second to none. They got that call and within minutes they had the building surrounded and secured. They make KL proud.”
Link to original article: Government Road office building suffers extensive damage