THUNDER BAY - A garage and several vehicles on the city’s south side were destroyed following what Thunder Bay Fire Rescue officials call one of the most significant garage fires in recent years.
Just after 11 a.m. Saturday morning, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue responded to reports of a structural fire in the 400 block of Christina Street East.
“We were responding from Vickers Street headquarters and we saw the flames above all the houses as we were travelling down Syndicate Avenue,” said district chief, Joe Rucchin. “I would give an estimate of 250 foot flames. There was a significant amount of gasoline and propane involved in this fire.”
According to Rucchin, there were between two and three explosions caused by either propane or gasoline inside of the garage.
Two vehicles inside the garage were destroyed and a vehicle outside received extensive damage. A boat next to the garage also sustained minor damage. Despite the extent and danger of the fire, crews were able to contain it to the garage itself.
“We managed to protect the house, the neighbour’s house, the neighbour’s garage,” Rucchin said. “The garage is completely gone. The guys did a really great job moving very quickly and protecting a lot of the exposed properties. Unfortunately, this garage was a complete write off on arrival.”
There were no reports of injuries and Rucchin said given the size of the fire and the potential danger, it is very fortunate that no one was hurt.
“This was probably one of the most significant garage fires I have seen in a lot of years,” Rucchin added.
There is no word yet on the cause of the fire.
